The Proto-Cap - Review of Captain America by Dan Jurgens volume 2

 

Review:

Dan Jurgens is trained, skilled and accomplished as an artist. Yet his renown is as much or more for his writing, with his creation of the DC hero Booster Gold and especially for his multi-year runs on titles such as Superman, Thor and Captain America.

He handled both writing and pencil duties for much of his time on Captain America at the start of the millennium, and produced work so remarkable that here it is given the classy treatment, republished in a series of glossy and substantial volumes.

In this second volume, Captain America fights a series of battles against AIM and its chief muscleman, Protocide. This previously unknown graduate of the same Super Soldier program is bigger, stronger and much more psychotic than our hero. Even though Jurgens portrays Cap as nearly invulnerable, Protocide still beats him in hand-to-hand combat multiple times.

As eye-poppingly beautiful as Jurgens makes those and other fight scenes, and the occasional full-page poster of the brave, chiseled, embattled hero, it is the layered story and its relational tensions that make these pages shine.

As Steve Rogers, he is dating crack criminal defense lawyer Connie Ferrari. As Captain America, however, he and she do not see eye to eye on, oh, trivial things like the US Constitution. And when her deceased brother turns up alive and in control of nuclear missiles, Cap has no choice but to bring him in. Will their growing relationship survive these and more shocking revelations and tensions?

The action is vividly rendered, with striking one- and two-page spreads and saturated colors, all well-served and enhanced by the glossy printing. The quieter courtroom scenes and dating moments are just as visually dramatic. The evidence for why Jurgens and his work on this book are so fondly remembered positively jump off every page.

Description:

Dan Jurgens continues chronicling some of the First Avenger's greatest adventures yet! When Captain America comes face-to-face with Protocide, he learns everything he knew about his origin is wrong! And Steve Rogers' girlfriend, Connie Ferrari, gets caught in the middle of an A.I.M. plot! Plus: Batroc, Hydra, Mercurio, the Crimson Dynamo, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury!

Collects: Captain America (1998) #35-44 and Captain America Annual 2000 #1

Authors: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Dan Jurgens, Greg Scott
Published By: Marvel Comics
Published When: Nov. 5, 2015
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-0785155409
Pages: 210 pages

Vivid Battle for the Light - Review of Green Lantern Corps: Lost Army

 

Review:

Green Lantern John Stewart's leadership abilities are put to an extreme test on nearly every page of this disorienting tale of the Corps. When he and a small group of Lanterns awaken on an unfamiliar planet, one which their power rings cannot identify or locate, survival and information gathering become the prime objectives. 

Not an easy task, either, with their rapidly dwindling power charges and constant assaults from that universe's Cleaners - creatures that consume outsiders similar to the human immune system, and the Light Pirates after every scrap of emotional light energy they can find.

Writer Cullen Bunn draws an intriguing comparison to a small military patrol, and mixes in numerous flashbacks and memories of Stewart's experiences as a Marine in Afghanistan. It's a clever reinterpretation of his back-story. And the parallels of that history and their current dilemma serves him well as he reflects on leadership, the need for action, for confidence, and the fine line between when truth or lies better serve the goal of survival.

Bunn draws together themes of power, leadership, truth and lies, friendship and enemies and the risks of common cause and shifting allegiances. The super-hero action is constant, yet it's the nuances at the edges that make one pause.

The real star of this book, however, is Spanish artist Jesus Saiz. His work here results in a stunningly gorgeous book. The characters and action positively jump from the page, with his smooth gradations of over-saturated hues leading the way. From the achingly beautiful barren wilderness landscapes on the first pages - orange-toned alien mountains everywhere - to the subtle pops of color and mix of shadows of a sunrise raid in Afghanistan, Saiz paints with light in a way that does full justice to these light-warriors.

Stewart and his troupe meet enemies both old and new, and a few old friends. Kilowog is there, as is Guy Gardiner; Arisia Rrab, Two-Six and Xrill-Vrek round out his team, with Salaak, B'dg, Jruk and other Corps members appearing before the end. But by the book's conclusion they are nowhere near home yet. The next acts of this story continue in Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion.

Description:

Writer Cullen Bunn (SINESTRO) and artists Jesus Saiz (SWAMP THING) and others lead the Green Lantern Corps through an unknown universe and a frantic fight for survival.

The Green Lantern Corps. They have survived Sinestro, the War of Light, the Third Army, Krona, Relic and the Durlans—all through sheer force of willpower and loyalty to each other and the Corps itself. Now they face an even greater challenge: the unknown.

John Stewart, Kilowog, and a handful of Lanterns are lost on an unknown world and beset by strange beings that want nothing more than to erase them from existence. Stewart will have to bring these desperate Lanterns together despite the odds and rely on a few questionable allies in order make their way home. The problem is, they have no idea where home is.

Collects the entire GREEN LANTERN: THE LOST ARMY miniseries in one exciting volume!

Collects: the complete limited series

Authors:  Cullen Bunn
Artists:  Jesus Saiz
Published By:  Dc Comics
Published When:  April 12, 2016
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN:  978-1401261269
Pages:  152 pages

Flashy Friends and Atomic Enemies - Crisis on Multiple Earths - The Team-ups Volume 2

 

Review:

The milking of existing intellectual property for profit was happening long before comics made the jump to TV or the world of the Hollywood blockbuster. Long before Hollywood mined our childhoods for nostalgic reboots, long before DC and Marvel brought second and third-tier characters to screen production, comics companies were already very familiar with keeping the past alive. The 1960s and 1970s crossovers between the contemporary Silver Age characters and their Golden Age predecessors mined exactly that desire for nostalgia. And in the case of DC Comics, they led to the mess of continuity conflicts that were finally cleaned up in the mid-1980s Crisis on Infinite Earths massive crossover event.

This volume continues DC Comics reprints of some of those early nostalgic meetings, bringing us 8 issues from the mid to late 1960s. A pair of Green Lantern stories; two Flash tales, a couple more from the pages of The Atom, plus a Wildcat appearance in the pages of The Spectre (two very different heroes!) and a Brave and the Bold meeting of Black Canary and Starman. We, the readers, get a range of threat levels and story-telling approaches, from a variety of writers and artists, many legendary in their own right.

Tops among this set of stories are the two Flash tales. In the first, Barry Allen aka Flash of Earth-1, has been cursed by 64th-century scientist-magician Abra Kadabra and can no longer see crime and violence, even when it is right in front of him. Only with the help of Earth-2 heroes Dr Fate, Dr Midnight and Jay Garrick (Flash) can he save the day and have his vision restored.

Then just three months later, the Flash title drew Garrick back into the book as the Flashes of both worlds, along with Kid Flash, are teleported to a distant planet to serve as the quarry for master hunter and intellect the Golden Man.

These 1967 tales feel closest to ones of our Modern Era - an interesting realization, given how emblematic of the Silver Age this run of Flash years was. But the muted silliness and the nuance to the emotions and dark threads in the narratives by Gardner Fox and John Broome would not feel so out of place in a later era. And it is always a delight to see Carmine Infantino's creative visuals and his innovative ways of rendering the unimaginable speed of these characters.

The rest of this collection pales in comparison but all are still fascinating slices of Silver Age life in their own right. Sure, they tend more toward the goofiness of the era - human sidekick Doiby and his car Goitrude chief among them here. And the constant stream of inventive perils, especially as Black Canary and Starman battle the fetching Huntress and her spousal partner in crime Sports Ace. And the two Atoms seem more at each other's throats than teaming up.

It all adds up to a fun, if unremarkable, book of 1960s Earth-1 / Earth-2 crossover reprints, filled with the vivid colors and melodrama of the era. These tales carry no real sense that they are contributing to a growing crisis, just heroes living their lives and doing their thing, with the help of a cross-dimensional counterpart.

Description:

Twice the adventure!

In a time when there were infinite Earths, the greatest heroes of two worlds would regularly cross the dimensional barrier to vanquish the threats that faced them both. Earth-One's Justice League of America, composed of powerful young adventurers at the beginning of their careers and Earth-Two's Justice Society of America, an organization of legendary champions of truth returning from retirement, team up to face the threats of a new generation.

In these eight Silver Age classics, the wondrous Wildcat is back in action to aid his former JSA teammates, as their old enemies hunt down Starman and Black Canary, and he also assist the supernatural sleuth, the Spectre. Plus Flash, Green Lantern and the Atom meet their counterparts to ward off powerful enemies who seek to destroy the heroes, their loved ones and the multiverse itself!

Collects: The Brave and the Bold #62, Green Lantern #45 and 52, Atom #29 and 36, Flash #170 and 173, The Spectre #3

Authors:  Gardner F. Fox, Gil Kane, John Broome, Mike Friedrich
Artists:  Carmine Infantino, Murphy Anderson, Dick Dillin, Sid Greene, Neal Adams
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  March 7, 2007
Parental Rating: Everyone
ISBN:  978-1401212285
Pages:  199 pages

Drama on Multiple Earths: Crisis on Multiple Earths collection volume 2

 

Review:

Crisis is cool again in the DC universe. With the multi-part animated Justice League films, the landmark 1980s Crisis on Infinite Earths is back.

While Crisis on Infinite Earths is arguably the biggest and most momentous of the DC Crisis events, it is hardly the first or the last. Starting with 1963's "Crisis on Earth-1" and "Crisis on Earth-2", DC has practically owned the word for its crossover events. Crisis in Time; Identity Crisis; Infinite Crisis; Final Crisis; Heroes in Crisis; and as recently as 2022, Dark Crisis.

To celebrate the film and mark the ongoing influence of Crisis in DC, let's revisit some Trade Paperback collections of Silver Age stories that played with, and in some ways contributed to the problem that Crisis on Infinite Earths sought to solve.

For 20 years, the Justice League of America title had an annual Earth-1 / Earth-2 crossover event. This volume, the second in a series reprinting those stories, covers the years 1967-1970. In them, the Justice League of America (Earth-1 Silver Age heroes) teams with the Justice Society of America (Earth-2's Golden Age counterparts). Together they battle such threats as alien spheres that bestow evil super-powers, T.O. Morrow's cross-dimensional schemes, a living star-being and a powerful transformer of worlds, known as Creator2 and his deliciously-named side-kicks Karmeel, Nugat and Ksuu. Two Supermen, two Wonder Women, two Green Lanterns, two Flashes, as well as several other A-list and B-list heroes appear in these pages.

Gardner Fox's tales, from 1967 and 1968, are light and fast-paced, the characters are chummy with simple emotions and motivations. When the creative team switches to Denny O'Neil and Dick Dillin, the stories become more cosmic in scope, the threats feel more potent and dangerous, and the emotions become more nuanced and complex. 

It is in these latter tales, for example, that Larry Lance sacrifices himself to save his wife Dinah aka Black Canary, prompting her to switch Earths. Superman's words of committal at Larry's burial help to set the more serious tone. This sacrifice is followed in subsequent years by the self-sacrifice and disappearance of the Specter.

O'Neil is clearly not afraid to shake things up with the characters and separate Earths. Do these changes complicate the overlap between these two (and eventually multiple other) Earths in the DC canon? Or are they early signs that there's already a growing complexity that needs attention?

The art of Mike Sekowsky and Dick Dillin is very much representative of the Silver Age period - dramatic poses, raw fisticuffs, a smooth evenness and constancy to the colors, with shading being managed more by inks than colors. Yet some moments do stand out. Black Canary's range is especially remarkable, as she is portrayed with strong fighting postures mixed with sultry and fetching angles and finally tears and emotional crises. Dick Dillin's star creature, for its part, is a wonderful blend of goofy and silly, strong and menacing, unique yet with stereotypical features - much like the main currents of the Silver Age itself.

This book is a fun slice of history, and is notable especially for the contrast between the different creative teams.

Description:

Four more summer meetings between the legendary Justice League of America and Justice Society of America are collected in this highly demanded volume! Collecting JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #55-56, #64-65, #72-73, #83-84 plus an introduction by Martin Pasko and a new cover painting by Jerry Ordway!

Collects: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #55-56, #64-65, #72-73, #83-84 

Authors:  Gardner F. Fox, Dennis O'Neil
Artists:  Mike Sekowsky, Dick Dillin
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  Nov. 1, 2003
Parental Rating: Everyone
ISBN:  978-1401200039
Pages:  208 pages

Coffee to Die For - Stumptown vol 4 - The Case of the Cup of Joe

 

Review:

Like a steaming mug of dark-roast coffee, this fourth volume of Greg Rucka's Stumptown is a deliciously strong jolt. Based in Portland, Oregon, Private Investigator Dex Parios is given a sweet little assignment - to fetch three pounds of prized and very valuable coffee beans from a charter flight, and deliver them to their rightful owner.

But bring your gun, just in case, he warns her.

And so begins a coffee-fueled adrenaline ride. Within just a few pages, Dex is swept up into a swirling blend of excitement, threats and bribes. A coffee-aficionado billionaire, used to getting  whatever he wants, makes repeated attempts to buy her off. Thugs from the Barista Mafia (no kidding!) attempt to highjack her en route.

And stirred into the mix is an unexpected visit from her estranged sister, Fuji. Their animosity percolates throughout and Dex must deal with some demons of broken relationships both past and present.

Author and creator Greg Rucka knows his way around a mystery, and the noir-ish stylings and sensibilities fit his narrative very well. His measured pace keeps the dramatic twists and revelations under control, giving us a smart, well-balanced read.

The visuals by Justin Greenwood have an unpolished feel to them in places, which lends a further air of grittiness to the tale. Charcoal-style shadings and the muted colors by Ryan Hill enhance and strengthen the visual treatment, so well-suited to these characters and the tale - there is no primary-colored spandex in these pages, just measured and buttoned-down visuals with a bit of a rough edge, much like our hero herself.

Ultimately, Dex's toughness and creativity flavor her choices, and make this story good to the last sip.

Description:

Portland's best private investigator Dex Parios is back and this time, the case is a real grind. When she picks up a simple assignment to escort a package of highly-prized coffee beans, Dex has no idea that she's stepping into the web of the Barista Mafia and eccentric billionaires with no compunction about using force to get the most coveted coffee around. And to top it all off, her sister is in town. Join Eisner Award-winner Greg Rucka and series artist Justin Greenwood (The Fuse) in this for this new softcover edition of The Case of a Cup of Joe, the fourth case in the critically-acclaimed Stumptown series

Authors: Greg Rucka
Artists: Justin Greenwood, Ryan Hill 
Published By: Oni Press
Published When: March 26, 2019
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1620105795
Pages: 152 pages

Madness and Riddles: a Review of Riddler Year One Hard-cover

 

Review:

This is a stunning deep-dive exploring the origin, back-story, motivations and state of mental health of the Riddler. A far cry from Frank Gorshin's green-unitarded Riddler of the 1960s, Paul Dano's Riddler of the 2022 film The Batman is a dark and dangerous serial killer. Dano is the author of these tales, a project he began as a way of getting into the mind and skin of his character.

We are all the better for him following some sage advice and turning it into a limited-series comic, collected here in a beautiful hard-cover edition.

Orphaned, marginalized through twists of fate and history, ridiculed and taken for granted. Yet obsessed with puzzles, including those buried in the sketchy account books of powerful people, agencies and institutions.

Admiring Batman from afar, and driven to punish the people who do bad things with their power and influence, he slowly descends into a madness of obsession, meting out gruesome vigilante justice. Dano's tale is dark, heart-rending and terrifying. We feel his frustrations, his powerlessness, and we admire his creativity in untangling the crimes he then punishes.

Artist Stevan Subic is a rookie in the North American comics scene, but he has already made a name for himself in Europe. He explodes onto the North American radar with these pages. Gritty cityscapes, dark deeds, incomplete and shadowy images, all cast in muted greys and browns, all work to give us a sense of Edward / Riddler's bleak, pathetic existence in a crime-filled Gotham. His struggles to survive, and his struggles with sanity, jump from these beautiful pages.

From a single page with seventeen narrow, vertically stacked panels, to a whole chapter told as scrapbook clippings and journal entries scribbled on ledger paper, his visuals are bursting with innovative ideas and concepts.

He steals this show with standout art that injects fun and amazement into a tale that swirls into obsession, stalking and mayhem.

The book itself is a work of art, a gorgeous hard-cover beautifully encased under a stunning slip-case, with so many extras that push its value into the next level.

This is so far from those campy green tights, and so well-done. Heartily recommended.

Description:

Actor and writer Paul Dano understands the Riddler’s every motivation… come see Edward Nashton evolve into the menace known as the Riddler.

As depicted in Matt Reeves’s hit movie The Batman, the Riddler wasn’t simply an amusing eccentric with an affinity for wordplay and baffling clues, but as terrifying a villain as any in the annals of the Dark Knight. How did an unknown forensic accountant uncover the dark secrets of Gotham’s underworld and come so close to bringing down the entire city?

This collection is an immediate prequel to The Batman—the detailed, disturbing, and at times shocking story of a man with nothing to lose.

Artist Stevan Subic makes his American comics debut, collaborating with Dano to deliver a shadowy and gritty tale of a society’s forgotten man who refuses to go unnoticed any longer. Subic’s recent Conan the Cimmerian for French publisher Glénat has brought him great acclaim in Europe, and he’s about to break out globally with a Batman series unlike any you’ve seen before.

Collects: the entire six-issue miniseries: The Riddler: Year One

Authors: Paul Dano
Artists: Stevan Subic
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Nov. 21, 2023
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1779523068
Pages: 232 pages

The Women Shall Survive - Justice League 3001 volume 2 - Things Fall Apart (New 52)

 

Review:

What would happen if the entire Justice League roster consisted of super-powered women? Who would lead? What would their relationships and team dynamics look like? Who would be the brains? the brawn? the heart and soul?

In this book we get a taste of exactly that, and see some answers to those questions. Following the death of all the male members - Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, even Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, all slaughtered by Lady Styx and her unbeatable Scullions - the women are the last members standing.

Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis give us a team that is shattered by the heavy losses, grieving and almost broken. As they lick their wounds and formulate plans, they must first re-forge the bonds of trust and refine their strategies and techniques. The first couple chapters of this collection give them space to do exactly that - less with the super-villain confrontations, more time spent on the stages of team building. Through some strong story-telling on the part of our authors, these chapters stay as interesting and readable as the rest.

Lest the more serious turn tarnish the Giffen / DeMatteis reputation for humor in their stories, they re-introduce one of the goofiest Green Lanterns of all time, G'nort. No longer wearing the ring, G'nort works for the terrifying Larfleeze, the (likely insane) orange-furred king of scavengers. G'nort and Larfleeze carry the lion's share of  the comedic bits, while the women of the League battle to figure out how to defeat Lady Styx and the new Eclipso.

A handful of backup stories focus on Ariel Masters and Lois Lane, now that they each have their own body back. Their chapters are over-the-top fun, especially their confrontation with Sinestro - emphasis on "sin"! Colleen Doran's art is reminiscent of an Archie comic with its clean lines, simple flow between panels and wide-mouthed expressions.

This is, sadly, the end of the line for our 31st-century Justice League and its all-women lineup. The timing is unfortunate as, after some rough starts in Justice League 3000, the authors have here strung together a sequence of increasingly strong stories and have clearly rediscovered their magic mojo. But Giffen and DeMatteis do not go quietly, taking lots of pokes at the decision to cancel their book on their way out the door. 

I would have enjoyed more time with this promising super-team and their creators. We end with 3.5 Capes.

Description:

TOTAL ECLIPSO!

The war is over. The world is overrun. And the good guys lost.

The legions of Lady Styx have overwhelmed galaxy after galaxy, destroying their defenders and converting their people to her sinister creed. Even the Justice League, the future’s greatest super-team, has fallen before her wrath.

But amid the carnage, there are survivors who still stand against the darkness—and newcomers ready to take up the mantle of the slain. From the ashes, a new Justice League will arise!

But for how long? Sensing the threat, Lady Styx has dispatched her deadliest assassin—the avatar of darkness known as Eclipso—to smother the reborn League in its cradle. Now the stage is set for a final showdown. Who lives? Who dies? And will justice prevail?

Discover the shocking answers in JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 VOL. 2: THINGS FALL APART, from the all-star creative team of KEITH GIFFEN (LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES), J.M. DEMATTEIS (JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA) and Scott Kolins (THE FLASH)!

Collects: JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #7-12

Authors: Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis
Artists: Scott Kolins, Colleen Doran
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Oct. 4, 2016
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401264727
Pages: 144 pages

Ice and Snow and Mirrors: Justice League 3001 vol 1 - Deja Vu All Over Again (New 52)

 

Review:

As the calendar turns, so Justice League 3000 turns into Justice League 3001. But the new title also brings some new changes in the roster, and some dangerous new challenges.

Our heroes are still getting reoriented to their resurrected reality in the 31st century, and hiding on Camelot 9 while they figure things out. The challenge is made even greater by the possession of their leader, Ariel Masters, by the very mean and vindictive resurrected Lois Lane.

This volume collects the final two issues of Justice League 3000 and the first six issues of its sequel, Justice League 3001. By the end, they will have rescued Fire from Etrigan and his demonic hordes of Hell; met a resurrected Guy Gardiner but whose resurrected host body is a woman; battled a planet full of Starro drones who decline to be rescued; and lost several members in a vicious and fatal attack by liquid-metal androids called Scullions.

There is still wit and humor in their banter, lots of laughs, the occasional Easter Egg to discover in Howard Porter's images (one example: can you find Ambush Bug on Starro's planet?)

But the standout chapter is the standalone story of Teri / Flash doing a solo training session on a supposedly near-lifeless ice world. Her encounters with Mirror Master and a pack of Piranha Bears is fast-paced and filled with character development on top of the fun and the narrow escapes. This is the chapter that best finds the creative balance of drama, heroics, character development and humor that made Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis so successful in the early 1990s on titles like Justice League International. They have struggled to get it right for much of this series, but here in this chapter, they nailed it!

In fact by the final chapter of this volume, Giffen and DeMatteis have finally found the right mix of serious and silly with these out-of-time characters. With the introduction of Tina as the Batman of the 31st century, and the unbeatable Scullions on a mission from an unknown enemy, the stakes go way, way up, a major Justice Leaguer dies, and we are set up for a fun future.

Description:

The Justice League’s wildest year yet, from superstar creative team KEITH GIFFEN (LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES), J.M. DEMATTEIS (JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA) and HOWARD PORTER (JLA)!

Thanks to Wonder Twins Terry and Teri Magnus, the original JL’s DNA has been resurrected in 31st-century bodies. Their powers may be on the fritz and their memories may be patchy, but Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern are, well, trying their best.

Since they were brought together a year ago, the team has endured countless threats, endless in-house bickering, death, rebirth, death again, and various states in between. But now things are really getting serious: Starro, one of the original League’s oldest enemies, has enslaved an entire planet’s population—legally. 

Meanwhile, it’s becoming obvious to everyone except the Justice League that their leader, Ariel Masters, is, in fact, trying to kill them, and old friends from the distant past are making their mysterious reappearances (and having some very mixed feelings about the whole thing). Not to mention there’s a new Gal Gardner in town.

Collects: JUSTICE LEAGUE 3000 #14-15, JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #1-6 and DC SNEAK PEEK: JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #1

Authors: Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis
Artists: Howard Porter
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: March 22, 2016
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401261481
Pages: 192 pages