Cover Girl - Wonder Woman Earth One volume 2 (2018)

  

Front Cover of Wonder Woman Earth One volume 2

Score (out of 5 Capes)

Packed with elements from across Wonder Woman's storied history, this is another piece of a stunning reimagination of our favorite Amazon princess, filled with page after page of jaw-dropping images.

My Review

Writer Grant Morrison and artist Yanick Paquette return for the second volume of their original graphic novel series reimagining Wonder Woman's origins.

True to their vision from book one, they draw elements from across Wonder Woman's long and storied history, pulling from Golden Age tales here, Silver Age there, and even more contemporary elements and themes.

It starts off with a 1940s-era Nazi raid on Paradise Island. The Nazi troopers and seamen, regular foils in our hero's earliest appearances, are led by the tall, blond haired and blue-eyed woman calling herself the Uberfraulein.

She temporarily gains the upper hand, even stealing the magic girdle of invulnerability from Queen Hippolyta. But in the end, she bows in submission to the loving authority of the queen she sought to destroy.

This concept of submission to loving authority first arose in volume one, and was presented in contrast to how Steve Trevor hears it clashing with his core values formed in his freedom and individualism. It gets a much deeper look in this second volume.

It comes through most intensely in the exchanges between Diana and Doctor Zeiko, revealed to be Dr Psycho. The villainous character has had a range of powers and motivations, dating all the way back to the earliest Wonder Woman comics. Here, he is a brilliant manipulator, tasked with making special use of his skills and talents on Diana.

She indulges many of his curious questions, even demonstrating her bracelets while he fires a gun toward her - at her insistence of course! But the truth and honesty gets especially strained on the topic of submission and when the lasso of truth comes out.

Over the course of the book, Diana goes from globally admired - with baseball hitting demonstrations and cover profiles on magazines - to feared and hated. The full-page spread of magazine covers is delightful!

But when Uberfraulein returns to her original programming, throws off her submission to loving authority and again attacks Queen Hippolyta, Wonder Woman must return to Amazonia and take on a whole new role in preparing her people for the challenges ahead.

Morrison continues to play with a large number of loosely woven plot threads. I admire how well he sprinkles reimagined villains from both long history (Dr Psycho and the Nazis) to much more modern ones (Maxwell Lord pulling strings behind the scenes). The sheer size of the collection of plot threads means that this book cannot be the end - we need the third volume to see if he can tie the whole package together.

Artist Yanick Paquette continues to lift the story to new heights with stellar visuals. There is a beauty in the faces and body language of the good guys, and an emerging darkness in others with less virtuous motives.

His panels and pages flow together with such dynamic power, each one packed with detailed backgrounds and attention to the smallest details. A truly magnificent work, a testament to his craft!

We are left with a strong and satisfying final page, but we know that more books must follow, for too many balls are in motion to feel like this could possibly be the final word.

What I loved

Wonder Woman wears a more culturally-influenced garb

The book is every bit as gorgeous as volume one. Yanick Paquette does another fantastic job at filling in backgrounds with spectacular scenery. It is most noticeable in Paradise Island settings, but his creative attention to every beautiful detail oozes from every pore of this book.

One of my personal favorites is the outfit Diana chooses for her rescue mission of a man held prisoner by some Middle Eastern terrorists. Pause and admire the overall look and the finer details. 

The red, gold and blue tones, in step with her other outfits; the symbols of stars and feathers, too; the accommodation to cultural sensitivities, with the flowing sleeves and the head and face coverings; even the stars-and-rainbows along the seams of the robe, that call to mind some of the scene-transition bursts in the 1970s Wonder Woman TV show.

What I didn't love

How easy it is to lose your best defensive shield!

Imagine you had a defensive tool that made you invulnerable - a shield, a force field, maybe a magic girdle as worn by Queen Hippolyta. You would want to ensure that it could not be disabled or stripped from your possession without great effort.

How shocking, then, to twice in these pages see Hippolyta so easily stripped of her wonderful magic girdle. Wearing it, as she does, outside her clothing and tied with an easily broken or untied knot, it turns out to be a simple enough matter to rip it from her possession.

Now, spoiler alert, the second occurrence shown in the above panel may not have been unexpected, possibly part of a larger plan. But the first time Paula the Uberfraulein confronted the queen, she pulled the same stunt in the middle of the battle.

Do we need a lesson in double-knots?

Related Reviews

Wonder Woman Earth One Book One

Wonder Woman Earth One Book Three (coming soon)

Teen Titans Earth One Book Two

Quick Reference Details

Writers:   Grant Morrison
Artists:  Yanick Paquette
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  Oct. 9, 2018
Parental Rating: Teen

Back Cover of Wonder Woman Earth One volume 2

A Paradise of Rebooted Origins - Review of Wonder Woman Earth One vol 1 (HC 2016)

  

Front cover of DC Comics original graphic novel Wonder Woman Earth One volume 1

Score (out of 5 Capes)

My Review

DC Comics loves to reinvent itself and its characters, a pattern that has only accelerated over the years. Transitions from Golden Age to Silver Age to Bronze Age of comics all came with radical new takes on characters, canon and continuity, over a period of decades.

Then through the Crisis-themed cross-over events, the New 52, into Rebirth, and continuing with the modern All-In and Absolute books, the reinventions have been happening every couple of years instead of decades.

The Earth One standalone graphic novels have always stood on their own - rather than a reboot or a ret-con of established continuity, they strive to reimagine key elements of their subjects and their history across the various incarnations and reassemble them into compelling new takes.

Writer Grant Morrison, in his new origin tale of Wonder Woman, does exactly that. He pulls themes, characters and elements from Golden, Silver and more modern Wonder Woman canon, mixes in some contemporary considerations, and produces a fascinating new stage for this long-standing and much-loved hero.

He takes us way back, to a time not only before Diana was born but before the Amazons established their society on Paradise Island. Back to a confrontation between Queen Hippolyta and mighty Hercules, a seminal event leading to their self-imposed isolation.

Then, jumping ahead 3,000 years, Paradise Island is a land of rich architecture and advanced technology. The women have built a society defined by a blend of strength and beauty, simplicity and sophistication, undergirded by submission and authority bound together by love.

The foundations of their society, especially in the eyes of Diana, are challenged and shaken by the arrival of Steve Trevor, an African-American pilot sent on a spy mission by the American military leadership. But his wounds are so grievous, and their advanced healing abilities so incapable of helping a human man, that Diana returns him to the USA for treatment, ultimately saving his life.

But in the process, Diana becomes a figure of both inspiration for those who aspire for a more just and equal society, and of suspicion for those who hold the reins and enjoy the spoils of power, especially patriarchal power.

This whole tales is structured as a series of flashbacks and explanations that emerge from the Trial of Truth; Diana is accused of being a prodigal child who has exposed Paradise Island to the rest of the world. It is an unfortunate choice that misses on too many points.

From trial to pre-Trevor moments to civics lessons to Amazonian shock and dismay at the contemporary gender dynamics, so many separate threads are swirled together in the narrative. Too often, the transition between them is sloppy, the cues for the reader inadequate to prevent confusion and frustration.

Where this trial-centric approach works most is in illustrating Diana's embrace of the hand-in-hand pattern of submission and authority. The theme is revisited several times throughout this book, and the ones that follow. While it sounds very much out of step with the American cultural ideals of freedom, individualism and democracy, Morrison presents people's embrace or rejection of the ideas and their underlying principles in very compelling ways.

With his absolutely incredible visuals, artist Yanick Paquette does his part to clarify and smooth out the seams, transitions and gaps in the narrative. Subtle shifts in style, more pronounced shifts in colours and shading, amazing panel borders and visual flow all do their part to show us the clues needed to move between plot threads.

And throughout, Paquette's images remain stunningly detailed. Panel after panel contains so much background detail. It well portrays the island's architecture and natural beauty, the variety of fashion styles favoured by the Amazons and more. You will find yourself lingering over so many pages, drinking in their beauty. 

Paquette's pictures alone make this book worth your time. And Morrison does some bold things with elements of Wonder Woman's past. It does not all hold together but on the whole, this is a solid first book of the three planned graphic novels for Wonder Woman's Earth One reimagined origins.

What I loved

A beautiful and highly detailed panel

Yanick Paquette's visuals are so breath-taking! In a typical super-hero story, we would get the occasional full-page or stand-out panel with loads of attention to the little details in the background.

Here, though, Paquette packs page after page and panel after panel with intricate details - Paradise Island scenery or classical architecture and statuary, nature bursting with flowers and wildlife, people with a variety of fashions.

He must be allergic to rectangles and the standard 6 or 9 panel page layouts; nearly every page has a rope or stars or other shapes containing the pictures themselves.

We readers cannot help but let our eyes wander across the scene, drawing out the sheer pleasure of reading this beautifully drawn graphic novel!

What I didn't love

A sample of the confusing overlap of plot elements

There are several time and plot lines woven together in this book. At key intersection points, like the one pictured above, the handoff from one to another is sloppy and confusing.

Grant Morrison has shown some real writing chops in his storied career. In this work overall, he does terrific work reimagining so many factors from Wonder Woman's history. 

So it is disappointing to see him fumble these shifts, requiring the reader too often to wait till the next page to figure out which of the times and places we've landed in. Whether it needed a few more revisions in the writer's room or tighter editorial guidance, the unfortunate result is a choppy flow and too many moments of confusion for the reader.

Related Reviews

Teen Titans Earth One Book 1

Teen Titans Earth One Book 2

Wonder Woman Earth 1 Book 2 (Coming Soon)

Wonder Woman Earth 1 Book 3 (Coming Soon)

Quick Reference Details

Writers:  Grant Morrison
Artists:  Yanick Paquette
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  April 12, 2016
Parental Rating: Teen

Back cover of DC Comics original graphic novel Wonder Woman Earth 1

To Hell and Back with a Friend - Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over (2025)

  

Front cover DC Comics TPB of Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over

This book collects the following comics: Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over issues #1-6

Score (out of 5 Capes)

A charming story of love, friendship and family, set amidst the trials and tribulations of Fire and Ice and their journey into Hell and back. It is fun but does not reach the overall level of cleverness of the original.

My Review

In their 2024 limited series Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville, Fire (Beatrice) and Ice (Tora) were banished to Smallville as a timeout to work on their dedication to serving others with their super-human powers.

Author Joanne Starer, who wrote that previous series, returns the pair to Smallville, this time to sort out what to do with their powers, which were swapped during the events of the Absolute Power mini-series. She trims the size of the supporting cast to just eight or so, and amps up the chaos.

The swapped powers introduces some mild initial chaos, as Fire and Ice wrestle with the different offensive and defensive strategies inherent in blasts of flame vs walls of ice.

But, like in their previous series, these ladies like to have fun. When Fire finds some of Zatanna's magical artifacts at a house party and accidentally adds body-swapping to the mix, the chaos hits another gear. Fire lands in Ice's body and vice versa. Wheel-chair-bound Charlie and super-intelligent ape Grodd's little sister Linka swap. Villain wanna-be Mo and persuasive-talker Honey swap. And all Hell breaks loose.

Unfortunately, to put things back, Fire needs a magical bracelet that is in the care of some of the denizens of Hell. So she and Ice set out to battle the hordes of demons and temptations, retrieve the magical cure and restore sanity to Smallville.

These characters have been through Hell before, in 2005's JLA Classified series, collected in the TPB I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League. Starer does a nice job of tying this tale together with those earlier ones, and with the ladies' internal battles with their personal demons and haunting history.

One minor annoyance is the almost complete lack of of the demon Etrigan's famous rhyming way of speaking. While the rhymes also disappeared in that JLA Classified story, it was a running gag and kept slipping in and out. Here, it gets one brief note then disappears. It is disappointing that Starer did not spend more time nailing the Etrigan character.

For all the drama and emotional impact of the Hell scenes, the Smallville scenes come across as lame comedic relief or eye-rolling distractions. The supporting characters can't carry these secondary scenes. It is also both a relief and a shock at how quickly all the loose ends are wrapped up, too abruptly in my opinion.

Artist Stephen Byrne handles all the visual duties, from pencils to inks to colours. In keeping with the tone of the earlier series, the look and feel of Byrne's images calls to mind classic Archie Comics.

The colours are especially notable in the variety of skin tones in these diverse characters. From Tora's Nordic pale whiteness to Bea's Latina complexion, to the different shades for supporting characters like Honey, Charlie and Tamarind, Byrne put lots of time and attention into their skins.

Byrne also carries the distinct dressing preferences of the heroes into whichever body they occupy. Ice's hair becomes extra-long when Bea is in the body, and she bares lots more skin. Fire wears a hefty green-flame sweater when Tora in in that body. Nice touch. If only such visual cues carried over to the other body-swapped pairs.

A real highlight of the collected TPB format is the inclusion of all the alternative covers, Different artists lend their time and skills and really run with the playful side of the swapping theme. I also love all the different fashions these ladies model on the different covers!

Overall, this is a solid tie-in with some of the key developments in the DC Comics All-In cross-over. Some nice artistic touches, if overly simplified in places; and some intriguing ideas in the writing, despite a few gaps. A recommended read for fans of these characters.

What I loved

Fire sees through the tricks thrown at her in Hell

In a plot filled with body-switching and un-switching, the relationship between Bea and Tora, whichever one is Fire and Ice at any given moment, remains a central anchor throughout.

It affects their actions and decisions in Smallville.

And, more crucially, it helps them see through the demonic trickery they encounter while in Hell. Bea and Tora know and understand each other so well that they can identify an imposter. At least eventually.

I love that this collection is more than just the adventures of two friends; the different aspects of that friendship itself takes centre stage. Author Joanne Starer packs emotional wallop into several of these scenes. In the panel excerpted here, Bea's strength of conviction and dedication to her friend stand out. It all adds depth to the tale and to these two characters who are better together than apart.

What I didn't love

Linka, Charlie, Superman and Grodd discuss body-switching

The Freaky Friday ("Furry Friday"?) body-switching gets more than a little tiring over the course of the series. 

Fire and Ice had their powers switched in Absolute Power #4 and extending that to a full body swap was a natural, if somewhat predictable, plot twist. But why stop there? Why not also pair up several minor characters and swap them too? 

Why not? How about because these are not well-established characters, making the reader's job to distinguish between them more difficult. 

Why not? Maybe because some of the body-switched characters do have meta-human powers of their own, but the narrative is inconsistent about whether the power transfers in the swap, as in the panels above with Charlie and Linka, or stays in the original's body, as with Honey and Mo. And if you don't know who they are, that just proves my first point that the swapped characters are not well-known enough.

Related Reviews

Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville

All In Saga

I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League

Quick Reference Details

Writers:  Joanne Starer
Artists:  Stephen Byrne
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  Jan 27, 2026
Parental Rating: Teen

Back cover of Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over

Splitting Alpha from Omega - Review of All In Saga (2025)

  

Front cover of All In Saga by DC Comics

This book collects the following comics: Absolute Power #4, DC All In Special #1, Justice League Unlimited #1, Batman #153, Superman #19, Wonder Woman #14 (all 2024-25)

Score (out of 5 Capes)

A fun if uneven launch of an exciting new direction in the DC Comics universe.

My Review

The All In initiative from DC Comics promised to reimagine the characters in exciting new directions. It would launch whole new titles, under the Absolute Universe umbrella. And it would bring significant changes to the existing in-continuity heroes and titles.

This trade paperback collects in one handy volume the key moments that kicked off the All In saga.

Leading the charge is Absolute Power #4, the conclusion of the four-part limited series in which Amanda Waller tried to strip the powers from all Earth's mighty heroes. The fourth and final book in that series pits the heroes against Waller's forces, a final desperate assault to try and stop her.

Artist Dan Mora provides powerful images. Whether in the dark corners and confrontations or sparkling and electrified moments, his images are striking and ferocious, with everything from colours and inks to layouts and intense closeups driving the emotional impact. Mark Waid's story is taut and tense, keeping readers on the edge of our seats. He successfully builds toward the climax and conclusion, leaving us almost breathless.

This is a critical tale for half of the All In project - it sets up the new start for Justice League in particular, as well as several other titles that DC would release in the coming months.

Where it misses the mark, unfortunately, is that it works better as a final chapter for Absolute Power than as a starting point for the All In Saga TPB. By leaving out the first three chapters of the limited series and dropping us only into the final chapter, we struggle to understand what is going on and to keep up with all the shifts in scene and the many overlapping plot threads.

Once you push through the confusing bits, it sets up nicely the next key chapter, the DC All In Special. Co-written by Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder, the two halves of this one-shot converge on a common moment from two very different angles and in two very different narrative styles. Well done to the duo for pulling it all together in a coherent whole.

The "Alpha" chapter comes first in this collection. The visuals, drawn by Daniel Sampere, are bright and fun, packed with cameos. After surviving Amanda Waller's power grab, the heroes of the Earth decide to radically expand the Justice League and kick things off with a first meeting of the membership on their shiny new satellite. Things go sideways, though, when Darkseid shows up, fused with The Spectre.

One of my favourite parts is the prominent role played by Booster Gold. I am a Booster booster, as seen in my many other reviews of his books and appearances. In recent years, he had been under-used and largely portrayed as a buffoon when he did show up. So to see some maturity on his part and some actual respect from others (well, Superman at least) is a pleasant change. He is the logical choice to explore the rift left behind by Darkseid, and since his part of the story is left hanging, one wonders what might be next for this character.

Wes Craig handled the art duties for the second half, the "Omega" section. It is as dark and foreboding as the "Alpha" section is bright and cheerful. The heavy inks and blocky faces and poses are reminiscent of some Kirby or Romita work and are well-suited for the story about how Darkseid came to that confrontation with the newly reconstituted Justice League.

I love the Alpha/Omega framing of this story. It brilliantly sets up the split between the newly launched Absolute Universe, and the profound changes portrayed in the regular DC Universe titles. We readers are left thinking: Oh boy, this is going to be fun!

That excitement carries over into the third story in this collection: Justice League Unlimited #1. Writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora continue their partnership after the Absolute Power limited series with the relaunch of a new and radically expanded Justice League.

With the new satellite as their base of operations / clubhouse, the disembodied AI of Red Tornado coordinating the hundreds of members, and Boom-tube tech replacing the old-fashioned transporters, this series feels poised for greatness.

Mora easily meets the challenges of visually distinguishing between the large cast of characters and different fronts of action. Waid deftly weaves many twists and emotions into the distributed action locations. It is an exciting first issue. I do worry that too large a cast of characters will lead to marginal and ever-revolving cameos, but this is a strong start.

Next up is Batman #153. Writer Chip Zdarsky does a solid job of casually weaving into the narrative some of the changes in the new All In direction. Some get prominent play, like the Riddler's new Nygmatech organization - and Batman is duly suspicious of its mission. Others are more subtle, like ex-Commissioner Gordon's new Private Eye role and the many changes in the Wayne Enterprises world. A little action, a little introspection, a little setup, a nicely balanced restart.

Superman #19 is less successful. Joshua Williamson, co-author of the All In one-shot special, certainly knows what the goals of this reset are. But while the elements are familiar and exciting, the overall effect is more jarring than the smoothly integrated Batman chapter or the cascading exposition of the Justice League reset. 

Lois Lane has Superwoman powers and the backing of an entire SuperCorp behind her. This alone feels too drastic a shift, despite its links to past Superman and Supergirl stories. Then Doomsday, Time Trapper and Atomic Skull all packed into one tale means that the villains need to compete for space on the page and reader attention. Without even mentioning the shocking twist on Time Trapper at the end. It all leaves the reader feeling like the Superman creative team is trying too hard.

I do love Dan Mora's accompanying images, though. The fiery end-of-time confrontation, the fight scenes, all are spectacular. But what really stands out are his facial expressions on Lois Lane. From hard-driving editor-in-chief to her fear and worry as she remembers Superman's first confrontation with Doomsday, to the sheer joie-de-vivre on a two-page spread as she flies to the rescue, Mora's portrayal of her is top-notch.

The collection closes with Wonder Woman #14, written by Tom King and drawn by Daniel Sampere. It is by far the slowest of the stories collected in this book, a melancholy and reflective walk through the stages of grief and hope and new starts. King deftly sets up a bold new direction for the Amazon princess. Its maternal and emotional overtones set it up to be a fascinating counterpoint to the new Absolute Wonder Woman.

The structure of the story presents some fascinating constraints and challenges on the visual side of the storytelling. Sampere does a phenomenal job rising to meet those challenges. With solid-black day counters bisecting most pages, he makes some skilled choices in how to carry the story forward. And he handles in a very believable way the wide range of emotions demanded by this tale.

One single issue from six different titles are brought together in this collection. While they do not always work, the overall effect is a solid new direction for the DC Universe, especially the core characters of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Justice League. This is gonna be a fantastic ride!

What I loved

The return of the powers is a spectacular
2-page spread in Absolute Power #4

One of the plotlines of the Absolute Power mini-series is that the powers of many heroes have been transferred from them into Amanda Waller's Amazo robots. When the climactic moment arrives, the powers return from the now-disabled Amazos to the heroes. It is a key moment, appropriately celebrated in this dynamic two-page spread.

I love the moments captured here. Each image is diverse and spectacular, befitting this key turning point. It also sets up some future All In storylines as the return of powers was not perfect.

I prefer the Graphic Novel format for my comics-reading, but this spread illustrates one of the limitations of the format: it is almost impossible to spread the bound pages wide enough to appreciate the full effect. 

What I didn't love

Excerpt from Superman #19 showing Supercorp

As discussed above, All In divided the DC universe in two, with new titles of re-imagined characters in the Absolute side, and new starts in the in-continuity titles. Yet Superman #19, the purported new start for the Superman title, feels like we have been dropped into the middle of something.

While the Superwoman powers are clearly still new to her, Lois Lane has a support team that is organized and well-funded enough to have a spectacular high-rise on the Metropolis skyline, recruited and trained staff, monitoring and management tech in place.

It leaves the reader with the impression, not of an exciting new direction, but rather that something was missed along the way. Enough is explained to fill in the details of this new angle on these heroes, but confusion remains about how did we get here?

Related Reviews

Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over (coming soon)

Absolute Batman: The Zoo (coming soon)

Quick Reference Details

Writers:  Joshua Williamson, Scott Snyder, Mark Waid, Chip Zdarsky, Tom King
Artists:  Daniel Sampere, Wes Craig, Dan Mora, Jorge Jiminez
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  April 29, 2025
Parental Rating: Teen

Back cover of All In Saga by DC Comics

Crisis after Crisis - Review of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths (2023)

  

Cover of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths (Hardcover)

This book collects the following comics: Justice League #75, Dark Crisis #0-3, Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #4-7, FCBD Special Edition 2022 #1

Score (out of 5 Capes)

Writing a direct sequel to the legendary 1980s crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths is a tall order, an ambitious undertaking. How can you hope to match the original's size, scope and impact on so many heroes and mythology and continuity?

Joshua Williamson and Daniel Sampere do a fantastic job in the face of this daunting challenge. They give us a very strong series, matching Crisis in sheer entertainment value and artistry, and coming surprisingly close to matching the original's scope and impact. Impressive!

My Review

1985's landmark Crisis on Infinite Earths was an amazing series. Heroes lived, Heroes died. A cluttered and unwieldy continuity was cleaned up. It established "Crisis" as the go-to word in DC Comics for grand events. It launched a bold new era with rewritten origin stories. It touched on literally hundreds of characters.

DC was not bound and weighed down in the same way by a chaotic and cluttered continuity in 2022 as in the mid-1980s, but a reset was needed. New life and energy; if not a passing of the torch, at least a graduation to the big leagues for some characters.

Writer Joshua Williamson and lead artist Daniel Sampere (I count at least ten artists in all who contributed to the series in some way) crafted a direct sequel to the original Crisis. This time, it is not a battle between the Monitor and the Anti-Monitor; rather, the heroes must band together to prevent Pariah - he who, due to his hubris in fiddling with forces beyond his understanding, was forced to repeatedly watch the widespread destruction in the first Crisis - from undoing the changes of the original Crisis. 

He has teamed, or so he thinks, with a deeper, primeval Darkness. His quest is to restore the multitude of infinite earths, an infinite multiverse. But to accomplish his goal, he must use the help of the Darkness to grow an unbeatable army and prevent the prime Earth heroes from stopping him.

It is an ambitious undertaking. Williamson needs to weave together a dozen compelling subplots, reflecting the current iterations of beloved heroes and ones in alternate universes or timelines, all in line with the original Crisis source material. What he delivers is something admirable.

This book works on so many levels. 

The rivalry between Nightwing and Slade is a central, driving force and our creative team captures the essence of each character and the very crux of their long-running battle. 

It is also an opportunity for the emergence, almost graduation, of a younger generation of heroes. Jon Kent Superboy recognizes the need to step up and play a more grown-up role in the growing crisis, but is he ready? Can he find reliable mentors to guide him?

Green Lanterns of many eras also play central roles, none more so than Hal Jordan. He works with Barry Allen; he enters the heart of the Black Lantern; he is accosted as Parallax. So many historical threads coming together smoothly and beautifully into this tapestry.

Dark Crisis also succeeds in part because of what it manages to avoid. The story threatens right from the start to fall into the common crossover trap of pulling together a small group of heroes. President Superman of Earth-23 pulls together several heroes of the Justice League but, due to some lame limitation, can only grab a small subset of the Earth's corps of metahumans, never mind the ones throughout the known multiverse. It's a forced selection that, when used, makes for a more manageable scope for the writer but diminishes the scope of the conflict for the reader. 

But Williamson only starts there; he quickly expands the circle, then expands it again. By the time the series title changed from Dark Crisis to Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, our roster of characters has exploded to include just about everyone fans might hope for.

Can Sampere and his stable of artists handle the demands of such a broad set of characters? In a style reminiscent of George Perez in the original Crisis, they do! Using a dozen or more spreads of giant battles, Sampere packs in countless characters in scenes with often clever nods to those heroes and villains and previous moments.

The original Crisis also famously rocked the DC Comics world by killing off both Supergirl and Barry Allen Flash in heroic self-sacrifices that brought a shocking feel of finality. Williamson does not quite overturn the cart in the same way. He has Pariah kill the entire Justice League in the very first chapter. Their death, while in a heroic battle, is abrupt and is portrayed as final for the first several chapters. But it is neither as dramatic nor as final since he ultimately backs off, and their death does not remain as long-lasting as Barry Allen Flash's was.

The resolution of Green Arrow's sub-plot draws the closest parallel to Flash's self-sacrifice in original Crisis. After a moving speech, Green Arrow is left behind or otherwise lost in the transition back to life of the Justice Leaguers. The speech is moving, the sacrifice noble, if not quite so impactful as in the original.

These are small nits, though. Williamson and Sampere rise to the challenge and make Dark Crisis a worthy sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths. It bridges the nearly forty-year gap between the books will intelligence and verve, delivers eye-popping visuals and profound character development. It definitely rises above your average cross-over.

The Free Comic Book Day tie-in, included as a separator between the Justice League #75 first chapter and the core Dark Crisis series itself, is also a delight. In a world with no more Justice League, what is to stop a shapeshifter like Clayface from infiltrating the Hall of Justice and stealing powerful artifacts? If the Flash can't stop him, maybe the group of middle-schoolers on tour can!

Check out the gorgeous hard-cover edition, too. It is well worth the extra dollars for a beautiful and long-lasting printing. It includes loads of extras too, such as all the alternate covers for the series. It also includes a stunning George Perez tribute page with characters drawn by so many different artists. The dust jacket is handsome on its own but be sure to take it off too and appreciate the glossy interior cover, definitely worth the look.

What I loved

One of many battle royales in this series

If a crossover event purports to touch the whole planet, the whole universe or, in this case, the whole multiverse, the reader can rightly expect lots of grand melees, packed with chaos and a myriad of details. And in those details, lots of artistic freedom for Easter Eggs or other clever references.

It is a technique that the artist on the original Crisis on Infinite Earths series, George Perez, mastered in his career. And this series has many such moments, all of which beg the reader to slow down and scan around the image, taking it all in. Kudos to lead artist Daniel Sampere and his team for all of these dazzling spreads. And for the beautiful Perez tribute spread included in the extras section of this book!

I chose this excerpt of one such grand battle for its nod to an earlier moment in DC Comics history. In his first appearance, leading to the classic Death of Superman story, Doomsday soundly defeated the Justice League of the day, including laying a brutal beatdown on the brave but non-metahuman Ted Kord Blue Beetle. The obvious mismatch shows through this image, with Dark Army Doomsday batting aside and barely noticing the comparatively puny Blue Beetle. Nice touch!

What I didn't love

Black Canary is teleported away
while Green Arrow watches from inches away

As I wrote in the main review above, this book works on so many levels. Finding it hard to identify something I did not like is a nice problem to have. I chose this panel from one of the first pages of the book because it captures two of the few disappointing elements in one place.

First, the story threatens right from the start to fall into the common crossover trap of pulling together a small group of heroes. Often, the group has little in common; at least here, they are all tied to the classic Justice League roster, at least a little. But the forced and selective nature of the gathering is shown most strongly here: two heroes with JL ties, standing inches apart, but somehow only one is teleported? Why? A tepid explanation is given a couple pages later, but cannot overcome the fact that these two heroes were in the same place.

This selectivity is made all the worse because Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow grabs hold of his lover and is swept away with her.  Since they both ultimately made their way to the gathered group, the weak explanation is even more nonsensical.

Yes, it is necessary because of the significant subplot awaiting Ollie. But that leads me to my second issue connected with this panel (spoiler alert) - the resolution of Green Arrow's sub-plot leaves him lost; no one knows exactly where or when. What should be yet another dramatic impact of this event remains as nonsensical as the explanation why "we can only teleport a few" and disappoints.

Related Reviews

Crisis on Infinite Earths - the prequel to this book

The Convergence series of crossovers also played with merging and cleaning up multiple continuities

Infinite Crisis - DC Comics really cornered the market on the word "Crisis" - and this is one of their strongest events

Quick Reference Details

Writers:  Joshua Williamson
Artists:  Daniel Sampere
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  June 27, 2023
Parental Rating: Teen

Back Cover of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths (Hardcover)

Emperor to Villain in a Blink - Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) volume 1 - Emperor Quill

 

Front cover of Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) TPB volume 1 - Emperor Quill

This book collects the following comics: Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) #1-5

Score (out of 5 Capes)

A middling score for a middling book. There are some moments of aching beauty, lots of entertaining banter, some brilliant wordless action sequences. But to reach each of those almost-sublime moments, you must dig through many other stretches of text-heavy boredom and confusion.

My Review

Following the Marvel Comics crossover Secret Wars event of 2015, several series relaunched with new #1 issues. Guardians of the Galaxy was one of them. And, befitting such a relaunch, it includes some substantial changes in the makeup of the team.

Most notably, it introduces two Earth-born heroes. Former X-men member Kitty Pryde has picked up the mantle of the Star-Lord. Her natural leadership abilities do lead to some tensions with Rocket Raccoon, who assumed the slot of the top Guardian was entirely his. 

Other Earth-connected characters also join the team. There is Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, making a jump from the Fantastic Four to a new team. And Flash Thompson aka Venom, not a character known as a team player.

The title of Star-Lord was up for grabs because its former holder, Peter Quill, came out of the events of Secret Wars as the new emperor of Spartax. It's hard to go bounding through the stars on great Guardian adventures when you have countless governance meetings to attend.

Spartax is at the center of the action throughout this book. First, the last surviving great Kree warrior comes, intent on avenging the destruction of her home world, Hala. The destruction that follows in her wake is intense and immense. She repeatedly defeats mighty Gamora and only some clever teamwork from the Guardians can stop her.

Before Spartax can catch its breath, though, Yotat the Destroyer arrives with blood on his mind and soon on his hands.

It all leads to some political shake-up as the new emperor's reign proves very short. A bloodless coup sends him fleeing with his old Guardian friends.

Artist Valerio Schiti shows some visual prowess in these pages. When given the space by the narrative - more on that in a minute - he fills the pages with sequences of intense, wordless images. They are powerful, suspenseful, moving, a real tribute to the power of visual storytelling in such capable hands.

Kudos to writer Brian Michael Bendis for trusting his artist enough to let the pictures tell key parts of the story. Unfortunately, sometimes those words left out of one page appear in another, burying the reader under occasionally burdensome narration and drawn-out dialog.

When that excessive dialog works, it gives us some real fun interplay between the characters. But other times it is prone to filling too much space trying too hard to be humorous.

It is also not clear why the rebooted series needs to borrow so heavily from Earth-born heroes. Kitty Pryde was established as a reluctant space-based hero in the Legendary Star-Lord series, now in it for the long haul. She is a bit of a stretch as a Guardian, but sure. But how to justify Ben Grimm? Or Venom? These are weird choices, head-scratching additions to a beloved team.

While it does continue a pattern, with for example Captain Marvel also taking turns bringing some Earth-based reasons to care about the Guardians, the series would be stronger to double-down on its interstellar space romp. Rocket, Groot, Drax, Gamora, each has emerged as a beloved alien character; why could Bendis not introduce some new alien-born characters. Or if Earth needs to be a part of it, maybe as an anchor for future crossover events, give us an unknown Earth-born hero. The approach of borrowing heroes and characters from other books leaves me cold.

It is also frustrating how swiftly Peter Quill goes from Emperor to Villain. By the end of this book, still only issue #5 of the ongoing series, he is out. Was it an internal power move? That's fine, it is just politics. Was it a coup? maybe. Was he not suited to that level of leadership, presiding over an entire planet? Undoubtedly. 

But by the end of the story arc, he and the Guardians with whom he flees have suddenly been declared "enemies of the galaxy." The basis of that declaration is.. what exactly? It is a gaping hole in this tale, a frustrating twist that moves the plot away from Spartax but leaves us scratching our heads about the logic.

What I loved

Visual storytelling in issue #3

Comics and graphic novels are inherently visual forms of communication. Too often, though, word-based storytelling eclipses image-based elements. But sometimes the author resists the urge to fill the space with words and lets the artist tell the story through their art.

Bendis does just that a few times in this book, to positive effect. Schiti rises to the challenge and gives us intense images that drive both the action and the emotion. A picture is worth a thousand words, the old cliche tells us; and in these instances, it works. In the example above, something momentous is clearly about to happen between two determined and powerful women.

What I didn't love

Too much dialog in too many places

The flip side of the What I Loved section above. Sometimes Bendis cannot resist filling the panels with text.

The nuance and details in this dialog would be challenging to show without words, but the conversation adds little to the story despite filling most of the space in the panel. Too many times, a chain of word bubbles mars and hides the artist's contribution.

Related Reviews

Guardians of the Galaxy vol 5 Through the Looking Glass Black Vortex tie-in book

Guardians of the Galaxy / All-New X-Men - the Trial of Jean Gray

Legendary Star-Lord - Rise of the Black Vortex (coming soon)

Quick Reference Details

Writers:  Brian Michael Bendis 
Artists:  Valerio Schiti
Published By:  Marvel Comics
Published When:  Dec 14, 2016
Parental Rating: Teen

Back cover of Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) volume 1 - Emperor Quill

Love, Laughs and Lies - Legendary Star-Lord (2014) vol 2 - Rise of the Black Vortex

  

Front cover of Marvel TPB Legendary Star-Lord volume 2

This book collects the following comics: Legendary Star-Lord (2014) issues #6-12

Score (out of 5 Capes)

A mixed-bag collection that opens with two charming tales of the thrill of new romance, another that starts to set up the Black Vortex event, followed by three chapters in that crossover extravaganza, and ending with an adventure of a related but very minor character. Sometimes fun, often-times confusing, it shows the potential to become quite a source for space adventures but is not there yet.

My Review

The second volume TPB of 2014's Legendary Star-Lord by Marvel Comics continues to add some depth to this character. With family history and a budding romance with an Earth-bound love interest, Peter Quill is given opportunity to express a range of emotions. It is an important chance to stretch beyond his most common frat-boy-esque devil-may-care attitude.

Writer Sam Humphries handles the blossoming love very well. The action in the first chapter of this collection centers around an awkward holo-date between Peter and Kitty Pryde. Long-distance relationships are challenging at the best of times, but what if that distance is measured in interstellar parsecs? Thankfully, the technology exists to allow a hologram call between the lovers, apparently with zero lag time in the transmissions, too!

It is the most fun chapter of the collection. Humphries gives us inner-voice narration by both Kitty and Peter, as they each stress over how it's going and did they just say or do something stupid? Such cute mind-games, made all the more difficult when the Slaughter Squad is trying to hunt him down.

But have no fear - the ever-resourceful Kitty knows a space-jet she can commandeer on short notice, one capable of traversing the distances in minutes or some other relatively short period of time. Which begs the question: why bother with a holo-date in the first place? Why not make what is apparently no more than a day-trip to cover the distance?

Once she does arrive, the dramatic rescue sequence, saving Peter by phasing him out of Mister Knife's fortress, gives artist Freddie Williams II an opportunity for some of the most creative work in the book. The slashing panel, following the tumbling heroine, works perfectly.

All of this wraps around the big twist that galactic villain Mister Knife is none other than Peter's father, the deposed emperor himself. It sets up some fun banter as they argue about his motives and actions. But the whole "I Am Your Father" angle feels overdone, and not particularly well handled in this case either, other than as one-dimensional archetypes.

The middle of this book is entirely devoted to this title's contributions to the Black Vortex crossover event. This ancient celestial artifact fills those who embrace its temptations with immense cosmic energy, making them far more powerful and amping up their greatest strengths.

Spreading its stories over this title as well as Guardians of the Galaxy and X-Men titles, the Black Vortex lasted over a dozen chapters in all. Legendary Star-Lord does a better job than the others at filling in key details of the characters and forces at play, so kudos to Humphries for that.

And lead artist Paco Medina infuses the images with a vibrancy and intensity befitting the conflicts between and within these characters and teams. 

But it is not a strong or compelling story. As each character is in turn faced with the temptation to take on the cosmic energies for themselves, we do get a little nod to their internal struggles. But it does not compensate for the chaotic story or the excessive number of characters all crowding for panel space. A disappointment, overall.

The final chapter of the book is also the final issue of the ongoing series (ended as part of the Marvel "Secret Wars" storyline and then relaunched with a new premiere issue). It focuses on Peter's half-sister Victoria and her own schemes and plots. In a long-running series, there is lots of room to dedicate an issue to a deep-dive into a secondary character or introducing a new peripheral character. Here, it feels like a place-holder, a throw-away tale while the main characters are on hold, awaiting the company-wide crossover event about to hit. It fosters the one-dimensional "bad Dad" personality of former emperor J-son but little else.

The book, and the series that came to an end with these tales, had some shining moments but they were sadly outnumbered by the uninspired, confusing or overly chaotic sections. I give it two capes out of five.

What I loved

Kitty Pryde phases through the enemy fortress

Kitty to the rescue! With boyfriend Peter in the hands of Mister Knife, her rescue plan was to point her spaceship directly at his coordinates, crash into the fortress holding him and use her momentum to phase through all the barriers until she reached him.

It is a creative plan, with at least a passing nod to superhero physics. Best of all, though, is the way artist Freddie Williams II illustrated the action: a wonderful, tumbling, slashing strip cutting diagonally across the page, with loads of fun little encounters en route.

What I didn't love

Black Vortex version of Star-Lord

As I complained elsewhere (see Related Reviews), the Black Vortex crossover event is not one of the better cross-title tales you'll read. It is chaotic and confusing, with odd choices of participants, a questionable name (Vortex has a meaning, but the magic mirror at the centre of these tales has little to do with it) and an over-kinetic, overloaded and hyperactive plot that is difficult to follow.

All of which applies to the three and a half Black Vortex tales in this book. They do include a little more explanation about the foundations of the story than the Guardians of the Galaxy tie-in, filling in some of the gaps. But the story remains somewhat incoherent with too many characters, too many starts that fail to finish and, ultimately, it fails to hold the reader's interest.

Related Reviews

Guardians of the Galaxy vol 5 Through the Looking Glass - Black Vortex tie-in book

Guardians of the Galaxy / All-New X-Men - the Trial of Jean Gray

Quick Reference Details

Writers:  Sam Humphries
Artists:  Paco Medina (#6, 9-12), Freddie Williams II (#7, 8)
Published By:  Marvel Comics
Published When:  July 22, 2015
Parental Rating: Teen

Back cover of Marvel TPB Legendary Star-Lord volume 2