When you live by the sword... Uncanny X-Force Volume 6: Final Execution - Book 1

 

Review:

"Sometimes to truly save lives the only option is to take them." This is the central tenet of the X-Force, the group of mutant assassins who are willing to kill in order to save lives. But does the threat need to be a clear and present danger? What of those with propensity or potential to kill later?

In this collection, author Rick Remender plays with these tensions and moral conflicts. The foundational assumptions of X-Force cut both ways and their enemies here know how and where and when to hit them. A disgustingly bloated, pus-filled Wolverine barely survives one attack. Fantomex does not. Psylocke faces the demons of her past and the monsters of her future.

It is this future self that drives the more interesting question behind this story: how moral is it to pre-emptively take another's life? Psylocke, Wolverine and others are horrified at their future selves and how easy it would be to give into the temptation. Once the killing starts, it is easier to do so again, and with a lower threshold of evil to merit the punishment.

The art duties in this collection are shared by three artists. Phil Noto's middle section is the most memorable, a graphic, gory, sexy stretch that encompasses the gruesome sight of the bloated Wolverine gutting himself to remove the poison, on one page, while a multi-page sequence covers the in-their-underwear duel of Mystique and Fantomex as they come to blows after their night of sex. Julian Totino Tedesco's work also stands out, showing the young-and-old contrasts in the characters when they jump 30 years into the future. The grey hair and age wrinkles on Wolverine, Psylocke and Punisher are very well done, aging them but preserving their recognizability.

Description:

The end of X-Force? The secret mutant hit squad X-Force has fallen to its lowest point. Its members have sacrificed much, and two have left the team. It's a terrible time for a new, deadlier-than-ever Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to strike at X-Force's heart. This is a Brotherhood like none before. Each member, each attack, has been designed specifically to hurt X-Force in the worst way possible...by a mastermind who knows all of X-Force's weaknesses.

Collects: Uncanny X-Force 25-29

Authors: Rick Remender
Artists: Mike McKone, Phil Noto, Julian Totino Tedesco
Published By: Marvel
Published When: April 30 2013
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 9780785161844
Pages: 112 pages

The Secret Doors in Logan's Mind: Wolverine vs the X-Men

Review:

When a legion of demons imprisons the mind and soul, and takes control of the body of such an unstoppable force as Wolverine, who can stop them? Hellstorm the exorcist, Mystique and a pair of Ghost Riders fail. Cyclops, Namor and Magneto also fail, despite their advance preparation and training for such a scenario. And all that is just the first act, squeezed into the first third of the pages of this book.

Plan B kicks in, involving Dr Nemesis and his cancer-laden bullets, Storm with her imprisoning whirlwinds, and the whole gang. While some work to contain the violent killing machine of Wolverine's body, others - Emma Frost, Rogue, Kitty Pryde and Logan's girlfriend Melita enter into his mind to help battle the demon horde. Their discoveries behind the closed and locked doors and corners of his mind are often hilarious comic relief among the intense violence of the battle unfolding both internally and externally. From "How I Cheat at Cards" to "Sexual Fantasies", they provide fun single-panel glimpses into this storied and troubled mutant.

Jae Lee's stunning, eerie, starkly horrifying covers are the artistic highlights of the collection the rest of the art pales in comparison. Daniel Acuna's work often feels incomplete, especially the drawings of the women. Jefte Palo's panels in the Surprise-party story of issue #5.1 are buried under an excess of spiky hair and gruesome severed hands, ultimately undermining some moments of tenderness and friendship that glimmer as brilliant points of light amid the harsh violence.

Issue #9 in the collection includes the intriguing introduction of Lord Deathstrike, a super-assassin. Able, as he is, to kill from literally halfway around the world, what chance did poor Mystique have?

Jason Aaron tells some intriguing stories with pockets of development in very well-known characters, and deserves a more careful artistic realization of his ideas. 2.5 capes out of 5.

Description:

In his long a bloody life, Wolverine has lost control before. But the situation has never been more dire. Hell itself has inhabited Logan's body, laughing with delight at every innocent life it takes--and he is powerless to stop it. Running out of options, Cyclops is faced with an impossible choice. The X-Men's leader wants to believe his old friend possesses the strength of will to break free. But as Wolverine spirals out of control, Cyclops may be forced to resort to deadly force to put an end to Logan's murderous rampage. Can even a last-ditch psychic intervention by those closest to him help Wolverine come to his senses before his teammates have no recourse but to kill him?

Collects: WOLVERINE (2010) #5.1 and #6-9

Authors: Jason Aaron
Artists: Daniel Acuna, Jefte Paolo
Published By: Marvel 
Published When: Feb. 8 2012
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 9780785147879
Pages: 120 pages

Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four - Does Johnny Love Lyja? It's Complicated

  

Review:

What a delightful collection! One of the long-standing strengths of the Fantastic Four is their relationship complexity. They are more than a team, they're a family, with frequent portrayals of marriage issues, children, deep love and affection and all the foibles of mature family life.

This collection focuses on Johnny Storm / Human Torch and his relationship with Skrull warrior Lyja. And along the way we get peeks into the love-life of the other members - from family life and physical intimacy of Reed and Sue Richards, to Ben / Thing and his long-standing love for Alicia Masters.

When Sue uses Reed's technology to rip the whole Fantastic Four building into the Negative Zone, she is revealed to be Lyja, presumed dead but back for revenge. Yet her love for Johnny leads her to betray her Skrull commanders and help them return to New York, landing right in the middle of the final epic Secret Invasion battles.

Writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa tells a fascinating, nuanced and complex tale that leaves us wanting more. Barry Kitson's art is by turns tender, affectionate and hippy-trippy, and helps to carry the tension, both romantic and survival, along with it.

The bonus chapters in the collection include Roger Stern and John & Sal Buscema's landmark issue #300, the wedding of Johnny and Alicia. With her step-dad the Puppet Master teaming with Thinker and Wizard to threaten the event, their marriage gets off to the rockiest kind of start - can their marriage survive? could they?

Issue 300 is followed in the collection by the shocking issues #357-8, that reveal that an imposter has been playing Alicia all along, and the real one still love Ben. Lyja, in a long-term undercover role has fooled them all, but has actually fallen in love with her mark. Tom DeFalco's tale is over-broad and facile in parts, but hits us with shock after shock!

A standout added bonus in this collection are the interstitial text pages, unpacking even more of the Johnny / Lyja history.

4 capes out of 5 for a fun read with loads of relational punch.

Description:

The invasion has started, and no one in the Marvel Universe is safe, not even the First Family of Comicdom! Aware that some of the Earth's most advanced technology and weaponry is housed in the Baxter Building, the Skrulls have neutralized the building - by transporting it and its inhabitants straight to the Negative Zone! With one member of the Fantastic Four M.I.A. and another "replaced," it's up to the remaining family members - not to mention Franklin and Val - to get back to our dimension, Skrulls or no Skrulls. But are any of our heroes who they think they are? Plus, two classic stories of Skrull trickery from the Fantastic Four's past. Collects Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #1-3, and Fantastic Four #300 and #357

Collects: 

Authors: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Roger Stern, Tom DeFalco
Artists: Barry Kitson, John & Sal Buscema
Published By: Marvel Comics
Published When: Feb. 11 2009
Parental Rating: Parental Guidance
ISBN: 9780785132479
Pages: 168 pages

My Two Dads - Super / Batman volume 2

Review:

The issues collected in this volume were originally published in and around 2005. That places them after the taboo had been broken around the death of a core hero. Comics had long imperiled and even apparently killed a hero, but when they were really-really going to die it became a significant marketing event. Think of the Batman; Death in the Family story arc around the death of Robin (1989), or the cultural awareness of the Death of Superman storyline from 1993.

In this volume, however, one or the other of Superman and Batman is killed off almost. every. single. issue. It mocks the seriousness of those earlier tragic tales - no time to mourn, he will return and we'll kill off the other hero next month!

The collection includes two longer multi-part tales followed by standalone interstitials, for a total of 4 complete stories, only three of which land successfully.

First comes the 5-part "Absolute Power" story. Superman and Batman rule the Earth, as benevolent dictators. They are literally Brothers-in-Arms, orphans who have been stitched into a family with one mother and two fathers - a fun nod to modern life's emerging alternatives to the nuclear family. In this case, Mom and the two Dads are renegades from the Legion of Super Heroes.

But all is not well in their domain, and Wonder Woman joins with the Freedom Fighters to rebel. They manage to kill Batman, but an explosion leads to an unstable time bubble that causes Batman and Superman to jump around into and out of diverse sectors of the DC multiverse. Then when one or the other of the two dies, it triggers the next jump.

While some advance knowledge of these multiverse realms is helpful, author Jeph Loeb gives enough clues for the casual reader to keep up. He also packs some emotional depth into the characters as they face repeated loss, trauma and grief.

Carlos Pacheco's art packs some serious wallop, with strong designs and vivid colors, poses and expressions. His layouts help to drive the breakneck pace of this story.

Next up is a standalone chapter with a teenaged Supergirl testing her limits. She tires of being supervised, each in their own way, by Superman and Batman. She clearly gets the hero thing, saving lives and seeing through a clever Clayface ruse. It is a fun tale, and Ian Churchill's art is dark, gritty, angry. The story leaves us begging for more, a solid A+

The third section is the "With a Vengeance" multi-parter, without question the weakest of the four in this collection. It again spans multiple DC Earths; at one point as many as five Supergirls are on a single page, in consecutive panels. But while the five heroines team to free Superman from Darkseid's clutches, the mighty Darkseid is not the villain in this story. No, these events are being masterminded by the Joker and Mr Mxyzptlk.

These chapters are filled with beautiful, striking visuals with clever angles and page-filling, boundary-breaking arrangements. But overall the story is meh. The plot is not especially interesting, and unfolds in a confusing way that could benefit from tighter editing or some narrative help. This leaves the casual reader baffled on multiple occasions.

The fourth and final story brings us, instead of Superman and Batman, their youthful proteges Superboy and Robin. It's another masterpiece of one-shot storytelling, an emotional roller-coaster. By times hilarious and deeply moving, it explores a memorable mis-adventure of Robin and Superboy. The pages are filled with clever dialog and perfect shifts in artistic style, as mind-bending themselves as the plot twists they parallel. When the story ends with the realization that it is all a eulogy beside a statue of SB, in the aftermath of his death in the Infinite Crisis crossover, the reader is left stunned and speechless. Kudos to "Sam Loeb and the 26" for an amazing chapter.

For an overall entertaining collection, with a few stunning highlights, we give it 3.5 capes.

Description:

The Earth has a new world order in which Batman and Superman rule with an iron fist. Humankind has a choice: obey or die! But a resistance is formed against these dictators! Will these unlikely freedom fighters save the world or destroy it? Also, the World's Finest heroes take on a squad of revenge-seeking heroes on the hunt for the murderer of one of their teammates - and their top suspects are Batman and Superman.

Collects: SUPERMAN/BATMAN issues #14-26

Authors: Jeph Loeb
Artists: Carlos Pacheco, Ed McGuiness
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Dec 23 2014
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401250799
Pages: 336 pages

Chaos Indeed - Review of Smallville Season 11 volume 8

  

Review:

This volume collects "Smallville: Harbinger" digital chapters #1-4 and "Smallville: Chaos" digital chapters #1-12. The centerpiece is a reimagining of the run-up to the 1980s classic crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths"

"Chaos" is an apt title for these preludes, as much is happening to our heroes, and none of it is good. Superman and Lois Lane get trapped in other dimensions of the Multiverse, where they witness chaos and destruction. Monitors and Weavers are busy spreading destructive Bleed throughout the multiverse. The 80's antimatter has become the 2010s Bleed, in a clever updating.

Meanwhile on our Earth, a shattered gem is spreading Eclipso clones globally, with a mantra of purging in the name of divine wrath, while Lex Luthor and his yellow-ring-powered mercenary force is seeking to barter with the Monitors before they can destroy our Earth. But is he hero or villain?

Appearances by Booster Gold, Superboy and Supergirl (in sensible pants not a mini-skirt, as the characters comment on too often), and the billionaire-businessmen behind Blue Beetle and Mr. Terrific round out the roster of good guys.

For all the potential, all the promising pieces on our board, the Chaos storyline is outdone by the warm-up act of Harbinger - itself a nod to the 1980s Crisis. This time it's Zatanna and John Constantine, among others. It is the most fun of the collection, with several brilliant twists in the plot, and with strong, consistent visuals that play with the magic/non-magic sides of this coin.

The main event, the Chaos story, pales by contrast. It is filled with chaos and danger, yes, but fails to capture the reader's interest. The cuts between subplots are often rough, and inelegant, especially around Eclipso, while the visuals lack the consistency needed to tie it all together.

In the end, this falls well short of the Crisis name and universe-shaping power of the original storyline, and loses marks for its failed effort to leverage that classic. One and a half capes.

Description:

The fight for the universe comes to a climax in this penultimate chapter of the Smallville saga!

Lois Lane’s newest assignment for The Daily Planet takes her to the Antarctic headquarters of the Holt/Kord Supercollider Project; but unbeknownst to Lois, Kord Industries has a new last-second investor—and Lex Luthor always has an ulterior motive. When the facility is sabotaged, the supercollider causes a bleed in the multiverse itself, stranding Lois—along with Superman—on a parallel Earth!

Collects: Smallville Season 11: Chaos #1-4 and Smallville Season 11 Special: Harbinger

Authors: Bryan Q. Miller
Artists: Agustin Padilla, Daniel HDR
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: May 31 2016
Parental Rating: PG
ISBN: 9781401261597

Trading Places - Batman / Superman volume 6 - Universe's Finest

 

Review:

The three stories in this collection are a fun and fitting end to the two and a half year run of this entertaining and at times excellent team-up series. Since its start, Batman / Superman has explored the relationship between Batman and Superman, and their mutual respect and trust, despite vast differences in personality, approach, powers and abilities.

The first story, by Tom Taylor, takes place in space. The murder of a giant lizard-based interstellar explorer leads Superman into Scorch Space on a rescue mission. But as Lobo hunts Batman, the world's greatest detective discovers not all is as it appears. You will never look at a banana muffin the same way again! And with some clever sleight of hand and a beautiful death scene at the end, it is a strong story filled with layers of characterizations and developments. Robson Rocha's art helps carry the narrative, and gets stronger as the pages go by.

Next is a slice of the "Final Days of Superman" story arc. The whole story crossed 4 titles and 8 issues, only 2 of which are in this set. This taste of the whole is fairly well integrated, with "our story so far" capsules and directions to the next chapters. These are not small things, but are vital to readers who wish to see the complete tale, and it is surprising how often they are omitted in TPB collections that touch cross-overs. In the Final Days, Superman faces his mortality, with both courage and dignity. I especially love Peter J Tomasi and artist Doug Mahnke's classy depictions of Batman's grief at the news.

After the intenseness of the middle tale, the final arc is candy, but it sure tastes great and is loads of fun. In a hideout bar for super-villains, a group of Batman's Rogues bet with a group of Superman's on which hero is harder to defeat. How else to settle the bet, but to swap enemies! Four Batman villains - Bane, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy and Clayface - go after Superman while four of his - Atomic Skull, Livewire, Bizarro and Major Disaster - face off with Batman. The groups predictably turn on each other when it ends in a draw. Frank Tieri's tone is light and fun throughout. Alex Konat's drawings are compelling. A highlight is the superb middle battle section, with Konat taking the odd pages (the attacks on Superman) and Elia Bonetti the evens (the attacks on Batman).

Overall this is a delightful, fun read. An ending like this leaves this reader wishing that the team-up series had continued. 4 capes.

Description:

Superman is facing his end. The Final Days of Superman are here. Batman and Superman are working to prepare the world for the loss of the Last Son of Krypton, but nothing will truly prepare the planet for what is to come. The superheroes will find friends and foes as they traverse Earth in a desperate last attempt to save Superman

Collects: Batman / Superman #28-34 and Batman / Superman ANNUAL #3

Authors: Tom Taylor (28,29,30), Peter J. Tomasi (31, 32), Frank Tieri (33, 34, Annual)
Artists: Robson Rocha (28,29,30), Doug Mahnke (31, 32), Alex Konat (33, 34, Annual)
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Aug. 22 2017
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 9781401271565
Pages: 200 pages

Who are these heroes? Batman / Superman volume 5 - Truth Hurts

 

Review:

Sometimes the tales told in the Batman / Superman series are detached from the concurrent happenings in other titles and the larger DC multiverse. Not necessarily in a universe of their own, that larger universe is still out there, as the "air they breathe", but with little impact on the terms and conditions of the characters in the tales.

Other times, as in this collection, the characters and situations are deeply influenced by what is going on across other, related titles. In this case, the stories here are set in the midst of the Jim-Gordon-as-Mecha-Batman era, see Batman v2 issues #40-50.

The creative team of Greg Pak on stories and Ardian Syaf on art does their very best to present us with compelling tales. Unfortunately for both them as creators and us as readers, the "air they breathe" is poisoned. The year of Jim Gordon as mecha-batman constitutes one of the worst storylines in modern DC Comics, a forgettable sequence from end to end.

Layered onto the Gordon Batman factor is a second meta-narrative of the era: Superman has lost his powers, but Clark Kent has turned into some testosterone-laden, motorcycle-riding action hero, fists at the ready, diving into trouble stern-faced crew-cut head first. As with Mecha-Batman Jim Gordon, it is so out of character, so over-wrought that it belongs in a dedicated universe or limited series, not in the main timeline or continuity.

These two terrible character developments really handcuff the ability of Pak and Syaf to craft beautiful stories. They try to work with these unfamiliar pieces, but in the end they are too foreign, too deeply uninteresting, and almost completely unrecognizable. Pak has told some wonderful tales in the Batman / Superman series before, but these are not among his best work. I give it a half-cape.

Description:

Batman and Superman—separately, they’re two of the greatest heroes the world has ever seen. Together, they’re an incredible team…and the greatest of friends. But Batman and Superman have never teamed up like this before.

This is a Superman who’s lost most of his powers and had his identity revealed to the entire world. Someone is coordinating a series of attacks against him that have brought him to the brink of destruction, and he needs the World’s Greatest Detective to help him put the clues together.

But this Batman isn’t Bruce Wayne. Jim Gordon now protects Gotham as the robot-suited Batman, and he has no reason to trust Superman—especially when his presence in Gotham seems to have brought on a war with a race of super-powered subterranean beings! If they can’t learn to work together now, there may no longer be a Gotham City to protect!

Spinning off the events of BATMAN VOL. 8: SUPERHEAVY and SUPERMAN VOL. 1: TRUTH, acclaimed writer Greg Pak (ACTION COMICS) with artists Ardian Syaf (GREEN LANTERN) and Cliff Richards (LOBO) chronicle the first meeting between two very changed heroes, with guest appearances by Batgirl, Aquaman, Red Hood and more!

Collects: BATMAN/SUPERMAN #21-27

Authors: Greg Pak
Artists: Ardian Syaf
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: April 11 2017
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 9781401268183
Pages: 192 pages

Superman's Joker : Batman / Superman volume 4 - Siege

 

Review:

Batman's arch-nemesis the Joker has evolved over its history from a hatcher of madcap plans with a side of mocking cruelty, into a psychopath capable of, in Batman's words in this collection, "poisoning a city" if it brings psychological pain and destruction to his foe.

What if, ask author Greg Pak, those personality traits were applied to a member of Superman's "Rogues Gallery?" What if Superman faced an enemy who sought to psychologically destroy him before ultimately killing him too? The five-part answer Pak offers is the centerpiece of this collection. Strangely it is not the title of the collection, which comes from the included Annual that sees Superman temporarily powerless and hunted through the jungles and ruins by Bane, Cheshire, Killer Croc and Man-Bat.

But while the Annual draws villains from around the DC Universe, the superman's Joker story is firmly set in Superman's own mythology. Characters from Phantom King to the bottle-city of Kandor, plus surviving friends and relatives all play a role. 

Pak gives us a mystery: someone is attacking and killing people close to Superman, with bullets that evade even Superman's detection or ability to catch. Especially poignant is the death of a civilian who dresses up as Superman to visit a Sick Kids hospital.

Some fine detective work by Batman traces the villain to Kandor, hidden as it is in Iceland, and the final micro-sized confrontation with a villain who cares nothing for who may be collateral damage and who has brainwashed an army of mini-Kryptonians.

Ardian Syaf handles the artist duties through the Superman's Joker tale, He excels at brooding or emotionally intense, heavily inked faces, and creative framing and composition. The pinnacle is his full-page layout of exactly what Joker has cost Batman over the years - intense, horrifying, moving, perfect!

The final tale in this collection, from Future's End, is nothing worth mentioning so I will not.

4 capes for strong stories on balance, and creative artistic renderings.

Description:

It’s the Man of Steel’s worst nightmare: an obsessed villain who not only knows all of Superman’s secrets, but is also willing to kill anyone who has ever stood by him in order to destroy his true target.

…It’s Superman’s Joker.

It falls to Batman to track down this murderous madman, but with no clues left behind and no leads to follow, will this killer outwit the World’s Greatest Detective?

Writer Greg Pak (ACTION COMICS) and artist Ardian Syaf (BATGIRL) add a deadly new name to Superman’s Rogues Gallery…one that will test Superman’s strength and Batman’s mind equally! 

Collects: Batman/Superman #16-20, Batman/Superman Annual #1 and Batman/Superman: Futures End #1

Authors: Greg Pak
Artists: Ardian Syaf
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Aug. 16 2016
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 9781401263683
Pages: 144 pages