Comic Book Review: Action Comics #892

Literary & Artistic Credits

Writer: Paul Cornell

Artists: Pete Woods & Pere Perez

Colorist: Brad Anderson

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Cover Art: David Finch, Joe Weems, Peter Steigerwald

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

Again I say, it’s the bad guy comics that are making a huge statement in the comic book world.  Cornell’s Lex Luthor within the pages of Action Comics is the best characterization of the brilliant billionaire tyrant since Superman: Birthright.  Cornell is bringing us a redefined Lex Luthor, one that has a strange sense of insecurity and a lack of self control.  The events of Blackest Night have seem to really put things into perspective for Luthor and now he hopes to achieve all of his selfish goals without loosing himself again.

Cornell is doing a fantastic job with this new string of Action Comics, and being on the verge of hitting that proverbial 900^th issue, this is exactly the type of new direction this title needs.  As Luthor tries with all his might to use his noggin’ before jumping into a situation seems to be a rather difficult thing for him to accomplish.  It’s interesting to see how Lex deals with these character changes and how humbling it seems to be for him.  I even saw Lex as a good guy in certain moments of this issue.  That is, until Slade Wilson lost his marbles and went rushing after Luthor with murderous intentions, then the familiar Luthor came out with a smiling vengeance.  It was fun to see Luthor bounce back and forth from utter confidence to uncertainty.  DC seems to be going on a redefining shopping spree; Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, now Lex Luthor, they all are being recast and reformatted for a new generation, and it looks as if Cornell is right on track in giving us a new Lex Luthor.

Great storytelling and new literary direction can’t be the only thing that makes a comic great as you all know.  The layout of the book could have certainly used more planning and thought as the bulk of the panel transitions left me wondering what the hell was happening.  If it wasn’t for the dialogue, I would have been unsure as to what was transpiring.  I didn’t realize Slade Wilson had gone off the deep end until a few panels after his charge towards Lex Luthor.  This type of formatting continues through 50% of this book and is less than appealing. 

The art itself is very good; Pete Woods has always been a terrific character and scenic artist, and every action sequence can be described as top notch.  And that cover is an incredible piece of work.  Points to the artist team who worked on that!

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

I needn’t say it again, but this version of Lex Luthor is a wonderful new direction that Cornell is bringing to the table.  Action Comics is becoming a force to be reckoned with amongst DC Comics.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Writing: 10

Art: 9

Themes: 5

Comic Book Review: Action Comics #891

Literary & Artistic Credits

Writer: Paul Cornell

Penciller: Pete Woods

Inker: Woods & Bit

Colorist: Brad Anderson

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Cover Art: David Finch & Peter Steigerwald

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

If you were to ask me who the greatest comic book villain in history is, I would say the Joker; pretty obvious answer right?  But if you were to ask me who’s the most intelligent of all comic villains, Lex Luthor would definitely take the top spot.  Superman is one of the few superheroes whose arch enemy is a mere mortal with no super powers, just a rich business tycoon who has a very developed brain.  And that’s one of the most interesting aspects about Luthor isn’t it?  He’s consistently been a thorn in Superman’s side and has come so very close to defeating the Man of Steel.  The obsessive love-hate relationship with Superman is one of the more interesting character traits of Luthor; his lust for power is immense, but will never be quenched until he has reached a level that surpasses Superman.  #891 of Action Comics brings us an interesting character study of the most intelligent villains in comic book history, displaying how Luthor’s confidence and doubt in himself are always at odds, and the catalyst that sets him over the edge is the Man of Steel.

The book takes us not so much on journey through history, but more so on a fantastic trek through the mind of Luthor.  The oversized larva known as Mr. Mind is keeping Luthor’s brain secluded as a way of digging deeper into the thought process of Superman’s arch enemy.  While Mr. Mind is in control of where Luthor’s imagination ends up, these worlds within his mind are obviously situations Luthor has either dreamt about or fits into his mode of thinking, all of which post him in positions of power and glory; the hero of a clan, a creator of life, and the town sheriff saving the day from the evil outlaw.  (Who has a striking resemblance to the hero of Metropolis.)  Mr. Mind’s purpose is to keep Luthor contained within his own fantasies while the amazingly cute caterpillar attempts some sort of scientific investigation.  But Luthor proves to be a little more of a challenge than the larva Telly-Tubby can handle as Luthor consistently takes control over his dreams, ultimately defeating the worm.

Despite the complexity and interesting nature of this comic, the story does seem to run rather quickly.  This would have been better served as a two issue arc which would allow Cornell to flesh Luthor out even more.

With this minor defect, the story overall is very enjoyable, providing us within insight into three states of Luthor’s mind, all of which allow Luthor to display positive and negative aspects of his life.  But within all of his positive and negative energy, he is able to harness them into one explosive moment where he combines his hatred and love for Superman to deliver the Coup De Grace on Mr. Mind.  It’s interesting to see Lex Luthor call upon the image of his most hated rival, showing that with all his hatred for Superman, he still wishes to be as much like him as possible.

Who the hell is CAFU?  Is it a company, and alias for someone’s name, what?  It’s so confusing.  Pete Woods I do know of, however, and love his artwork.  It took some time for it to grow on me, but I now love to see his name on the cover of any comic.  While the stylization of all the characters remained similar per Woods style, the different sceneries were very much in tune with its known culture.  I was a bit confused about the opening sequence; I couldn’t figure out if this was ancient, mythological Greece or some type of Viking Clan.  It probably doesn’t matter, but it did stick out none-the-less.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

I won’t lie, Luthor has been smartly taken advantage of and fleshed out numerous times, usually for the better.  But I’m not sure a comic has ever taken advantage of a character as well as #891 did.  It displayed his dark side well enough, but also brought out the confidence Luthor has in himself too.  So far, the Luthor-based Actions Comics is coming along very well.

Rating: 8.83

Writing: 8.5

Themes: 9

Art: 9

Comic Book Review: Action Comics #890

Book Information Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Pete Woods
Colored by Brad Anderson
Lettered by Rob Leigh
Cover by Finch & Steigerwald

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion
Is anyone else cheering for the fact that Lex Luthor is in the spotlight? I honestly wasn’t sure how DC was going to top their Nightwing and Flamebird extravaganza, but I think they nailed it on the head! With great titles such as the Suicide Squad and the Secret Six, villain headlined comics are something I wish for more of. Action Comics has now tumbled to the dark side giving Luthor the center stage. Wielding a power ring has made Luthor more power hungry than ever been before as he begins his quest to locate and harness the energy which powered the black rings. But Luthor hits a little snag when a strange band of hit men come after Luthor with a bag tricks and a slimy surprise inside.

Obsession has always been a defining feature of Lex Luthor. But more importantly, his obsession with Superman is what drives his lust for power; his desire to fly above the heads of mere humans and take over as an all powerful entity with which everyone would fear and obey has never left his thoughts since first setting foot into the DCU. Action Comics #890 reminds us of that obsession and adds the fact that he has already experienced what it’s like to be a superman. This odd combination of admiration and hatefulness that Luthor has towards Superman is such an interesting study brought to life by the incredible Paul Cornell. Luthor is so proud of himself that his pride cannot be tarnished by the common and “despicable” working man who takes it upon him or herself to put Luthor in his place. His urge to be so much like Superman does not allow him to accept the fact that he is mortal and can bleed. Cornell can write for Action Comics all he wants in my humble opinion!

I enjoyed the conversation Luthor has with cyborg Lois Lane (that I didn’t realized existed until now!) and how she was the only one who can successfully counter any idea that Luthor brought to the table. I guess it takes a robotic sex slave (which I’m sure she is) to keep Luthor humble as possible. (Which isn’t necessarily very humble right?)

Pete Woods is up and down for me; he’s a talented artist, but if he doesn’t get the right colorist, the effect doesn’t come off right. Strong pencils don’t necessarily equal great art. However, with that being said, that last page of Mister Mind ripping through the pilot’s skin was nothing short of awesome!

My Profoundly Climactic Conclusion
This is so much fun to read and nice to look at, nothing could have pleased me more this month than having Action Comics turn into a villain book, even if it is probably temporary. This means Superman will not inhabit this title for sometime as the headliner, which is great! Keep Superman in his own book and leave Action Comics for the other “super” characters!

Ratings
Writing: 10
Themes: 10
Art: 9
Overall: 9.33 out of 10

Comic Book Review: Last Stand of New Krypton #3 (of 3)

Book Information

Writer: James Robinson & Sterling Gates

Artist: Pete Woods

My All-Inspiring Opinion

It becomes very difficult to decipher when a comic book company is seriously trying to make decent storylines verses when they are just toying with us.  Last Stand of New Krypton is nothing more than an extension of the upcoming series “War of the Supermen.”  This final issue in the three part series doesn’t do much to clear up the questions that have been lingering in the background.  All in all, #3 of 3 takes a turn for the worst and accomplishes nothing except taking a few extra bucks from DC and Superman fans.

The story begins with a fiery metallic skull plummeting to the city of Kandor head on.  Superman’s attempt to save the city fails, leaving him broken and pierced with no life left in him.  Zod’s attempt to destroy Brainiac as revenge is thwarted by the Legionnaire Brainiac who mysteriously zaps both he and Brainiac the first away to, one can only assume, another period in time.  Zod now presents himself to the people of New Krypton and officially declares war on the planet Earth.

In the tradition of Grant Morrison, James Robinson has delivered a complex story that served no purpose except to merely start the War of Supermen series.  The story had some exceptionally intense moments, especially when Brainiac strikes Lex Luthor, snapping his neck!  Of course, we find out later this was only a Luthor Android to help distract everyone from Luthor’s real purpose, which I’m sure will be revealed sooner rather than later.  But having truly shocking events in a story will not actually save the story, Despite the incredible explosions and fiery artwork displayed by Mr. Pete Woods.

Woods’ art, just like James Robinson’s writing, is always a toss up.  Brainiac’s ship was a sight to see as it fell towards Kandor followed by a few blazing columns of smoke.  Likewise, any panel that displayed a large object or a far away scene was as artistic and intricate as any I’ve seen.  But once you close in on someone’s face or have too many people in one setting, the artwork becomes quite wooden and way over inked.  His moments of brilliance does not outweigh the consistent flaws that occur in every issue.

My Profoundly Climactic Conclusion

To be honest, I could have waited until War of the Supermen began with issue #0 and still have been able to figure out what was going on.  This Mini did nothing to help prepare us for the WOTS storyline and I pray that Robinson will actually deliver seeing as how this will be somewhat of a new start for him.  Redemption is at hand Mr. Robinson, please don’t disappoint.

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars

Comic Book Review: Superman Last Stand of New Krypton #2 (of 3)

Book Information

Written by James Robinson & Sterling Gates

Art by Pete Woods & Travis Moore

Plot

The Legion has successfully made it aboard Brainiac’s ship, Zod battles the hundreds of robot soldiers Brainiac has sent down to New Krypton, and Superman tries to reclaim the twice bottled city of Kandor.  What else can go wrong you ask?  (evil cackle) Silly humans…

My Thoughts

For a comic that ties to a story that has had very little success this past year, it sure does maintain a forward momentum.  Sterling Gates might very well be the best thing that has ever happened to James Robinson as he does everything in his literary power to keep the story flowing smoothly and pumping through lackluster that was World of New Krypton.

Writing

I’m not entirely sure who’s at the helm of the script and who is navigating as far as the writing quality is concerned, but I do know that ever since Gates teamed up with Robinson towards the end of the World of New Krypton series, the writing quality had a most notable increase all the way to the end.  This issue brings us a hard hitting, in your face, action packed battle from page one to the end.  There’s very little drag and corny dialogue and my interest in the story is staying constant, which means I’m intrigued for the conclusion.  However, with everything that is going on here, I am beginning to wonder how #3 will conclude LSONK.  With #3 coming later this month, shouldn’t the story be further along?

Of course I am used to the stretching out of storylines in comics, what should only be a three to four issues spread in a miniseries typically gets dragged out into a twelve issue installment, hence World of New Krypton.  It’s very possible that my worries are due to miniseries never ending within two months in DC Comics.  However, my K-9 senses are picking up the trail of James Robinson’s typically poor writing style which makes me worry about the final issue.

With that being said, the literary approach in this issue in its entirety is a great piece of work.  The shinning moments James Robinson has had in the past are due to his action based storylines; the touchy-feely, thought provoking storylines really aren’t his forte.  This is all that really maters to me!  I do prefer the more meaningful stories that cause the analytical part of one’s mind to wake up, but if an author can push forward with a story by making it a fun, hard hitting action comic, then by all means, do that!

Rating: 9

Themes

There is only one predominant theme in this book…to fight the good fight!  To press on even when all hope is lost.  To protect those you love and cherish.  Everything really does go to hell in a hand basket as Brainiac ceases to yield the attack on Kandor; the perseverance and reclaiming of Kandor as his own is at the forefront of his mind.  And Zod’s consistent belief that the Legion of Superheroes is a terrorist group here to help Brainiac’s diabolical plot also ties well into this arc.  Every side has their own agenda and all hold true to it, which makes for a wonderfully angst driven story.

Now there is mention of Brainiac using fear to achieve his goal, but for me it wasn’t the main aspect of the book.  I’m sure Robinson wanted that to be a prime factor, but it didn’t come off as successfully as it could have.  Fear is always going to be used in a story of good vs. evil, but if it’s going to be a main theme in a story, a writer can’t give us a book where EVERYONE is fighting the good fight and showing an immense amount of courage and hardly any fear.

Rating: 6

Art

Pete Woods and Travis Moore really put it out there as far as the artwork is concerned.  The cover is nothing less than stunning with its chaotic and colorful tone.  One major criticism I’ve had with Pete Wood’s art is how great he is with close up shot, but the further away he gets from the characters in the story, the more the quality goes down.  But this issue shows Moore stepping it up a few notches, especially when Brainiac lands a good one on Superman’s iron jaw…

Amongst the raging robots, the explosive sequences of destruction and the great use of lights and darks, Pete Woods and Travis Moore have shown they can produce better work than what they have presented in the past.  However, with that being said, my artistic preference is far from what they produced here in #2.  The characters still seemed way over inked and feel too wooden for my taste.   Oh sure, when Superman’s getting punched, or someone’s flying up to take out a robot the art suddenly becomes fantastic, but the majority of the book shows characters too dark in the face and body to make out what they’re feeling and have very little emotion coming through facially.

Rating: 6

Overall

A fun read.  I never know what to expect with Robinson, but this issue was definitely better than what was coming out of World of New Krypton.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Next Issue Coming April 28, 2010

LAST STAND OF NEW KRYPTON ships twice in April as the biggest Superman story in years rockets towards its mind-blowing conclusion!
In this epic conclusion, Superman and Zod must work together if they're to have a chance of stopping Brainiac! But a victory for New Krypton means a devastating loss for the Legion! 
Over a year's worth of New Krypton stories has been building up to the final page of this series, and once you see it, you'll know there's only one outcome: the WAR OF THE SUPERMEN! 

Comic Book Review: Superman Last Stand of New Krypton #1 (of 3)

Book Information

Written by James Robinson & Sterling gates

Art by Pete Woods

Plot

Both Brainiac and Zod are meeting in the heat of battle.  Brainiac wants his city of Kandor bottled up again, and Zod wants Brainiac destroyed, even if it means sacrificing fellow Kryptonians!  With Superman caught in the middle he must now decide where his loyalties lie.  Will he keep his promise and remain under Zod’s command, or will he dispose of his militaristic persona and let the red “S” shine yet again?

My Thoughts

A year has gone by and we are still in the midst of Robinson’s New Krypton saga, only this time with a different name, “The Last Stand of New Krypton.”  This issue is a step up from Robinson’s absolutely terrible run in World of New Krypton but still retains some of that Robinson flavor that doesn’t sit well in my mouth.

Right away this book goes into an action packed battle with Brainiac’s skull-like ship hovering over New Krypton.  It was the last straw for Superman as Zod fired an energy beam at the ship while military personal were surrounding it, killing numerous Kryptonians in the process.  As Zod seemingly felt no remorse for his action, Kal-El throws down his military emblem and flies away into the sky with the suit we are all familiar with.  It was very nice to see him get rid of that black and grey outfit and go back to his bright red and blue colors.

James Robinson shines best when he’s writing an action story rather than a mystery story, and this book is in fine form with that.  He utilized everything he could to keep this story pumping with edge of your seat thrills.  Bringing in the Legion of Superheroes was a nice touch.  I wonder why Zod has decided to put the team behind bars?  I have a feeling that Zod will turn out to be the real bad guy before it’s all over.

Pete Woods delivers some pretty strong pencil work despite his less than satisfactory art shown in WONK.  The different shades of red and blues were very well done as well as the facial expressions shown on the characters faces.  However, I think Pete Woods is lacking in the far away shots rather than the close-ups.  That or the inkers are going a little too gun-ho on giving the images that defined look.

Overall

A good issue, very much a step forward in the right direction.  Let’s hope Robinson can redeem himself from World of New Krypton.

Rating: 7  out of 10 stars

Next Issue Coming April 7, 2010

LAST STAND OF NEW KRYPTON ships twice in April as the biggest Superman story in years rockets towards its mind-blowing conclusion!
Things look bleak for the Kryptonians as Brainiac reveals his trump card for destroying the planet, leaving Zod grasping at straws as to how to defend his people. But Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes have made it aboard Brainiac's ship, determined to stop the tyrant at any cost!
Over a year's worth of stories builds to the final page of this series, and you don't want to miss it! 

Comic Book Review: Superman World Of New Krypton #12 (of 12)

Book Information

Written by James Robinson & Greg Rucka

Art by Pete Woods & Ron Randall.

Plot

The perpetrator of the series of murders has been revealed!  Superman is now faced with the terrible truth that one of its own council members has been plotting against New Krypton and Earth since Kandor was freed of Brainiac’s bottled prison.  Superman now faces death as the culprit does all he can to keep his dealings a secret!

My Thoughts

Twelve issues have past.  Twelve installments of a mystery have been put to paper.  As I finished this twelfth and final issue of this mini, I sit back and ask myself…”What The Fuck?!?!”  Let’s keep in mind that within this miniseries were three OTHER miniseries that had little or nothing to do with the overall scheme of the World of New Krypton.  What was the point of this series?  How does it push the regular Superman title forward and connect with the happenings going on Earth currently?  I find myself at a loss in many different aspects.

First, can anyone explain Zod’s strange behavior?  He kept jumping back and forth from acting mysteriously like the villain, to portraying the stature of a truly reformed man.  Yet we know from past issue of Action comics that while everything was happening on New Krypton, he had sleeper agents on Earth doing his biding.  Yet Zod remains unmoved by the turns of events and by the revelation of his laboratory experiments which have seemed to hurt the labor guild.  Maybe I’m over analyzing the situation, but the behavior patterns he displayed and the end result of this series do not match up.

Adam Strange seems to have disappeared just a quickly as he appeared, and with no real sense of accomplishment.  Yeah, he helped Superman solve a few mysteries, but what else did he accomplish that couldn’t have been done without his involvement?  Was Adam Strange brought in to this story just for the sake of doing so?  DC is having a huge “silver age” movement and resurrecting long lost heroes, but Adam Strange’s resurrection seems to be out of place, contrived, and unneeded.  It was cool to have him there, but why? 

And of course, the ending of this mini series has to reveal the murdering bastard correct?  I’m sure we all came to the conclusion that the culprit would be a complete surprise, someone we weren’t expecting right?  Well, that can definitely be said for this issue.  I was so surprised by the out come because I couldn’t remember seeing this man more than two or three times in this whole series!  In fact, with all of the events and how they unfolded, and how characters developed in this story, it doesn’t make sense.  This council member has very little dialogue and doesn’t make appearances in most of the series.  In addition, his motivation for committing these crimes is very confusing and causes me to scratch my head in concern for my own deductive reasoning skills.  “Did I miss something?” I asked myself.  The reason why this review is so late is because I went back through all twelve issues to see where I may have dosed off and missed some important plot twist which would have helped explain this ending to me.  Not surprisingly, I finished skimming all of the comics with no avail.  Robinson did not do this series justice.  DC would have been better off hiring Greg Rucka to write the entire run.  At least DC was intelligent enough to enlist the talents of Rucka before the end to help this series make some semblance of a conclusion, even though there was none.

Overall

Horrible!  I want my $36 and twelve months back that I wasted on this series.  I might even dump this series in the trash it was so bad!  (And that’s saying a lot for me.)  Honestly, if you are waiting for the trade to come out, don’t waste your money.  At least you were saved the pain and torment of paying $3 a month that I wasn’t.

Rating: 0 out of 10 stars

Comic Book Review: Superman World Of New Krypton #11 (of 12)

Book Information

Written by James Robinson & Greg Rucka

Art by Pete Woods and Ron Randall

Plot

Superman and Adam Strange come closer to solving the mystery of the phantom sniper gunning after the council members of each respective guild.  But the closer they get, the more terrifying the results become.  As the space duo continually pushes through to solve this mystery, they are at the same time threatened by the very people whom Kal-El is trying to defend.

My Thoughts
Out of the eleven issues that have been published in this series, this has got to be the strongest one.  It kept my interest pumping through every page, mainly due to the confidently humorous man that is Adam Strange.  I really had my doubts about introducing galactic space ranger in this series, but Strange has shown a lot of promise.  His ability to subtlety make fun of the idiocy portrayed by the Kryptonians and the detective skills makes you chuckle underneath your breath.

I do get a little frustrated by how dumb these Kryptonians are.  It took an Earthling to show these aliens what it means to be a “super sleuth.”  The intelligence level is not represented well in the Kryptonian race and I blame Mr. James Robinson who has portrayed an entire world of living and thinking beings as no smarter than the humans we know here on Earth.  But of course, that may be the whole point that Robinson and Rucka are trying to make; to allow Superman and Strange to outshine every living being on New Krypton and become the real hero in the reader’s eyes.  Having Rucka on board has really helped Robinson’s below average story telling.  Rucka has always been a top notch writer and he was able to give the WONK series the boost it really needed that Robinson was unable to provide.

Woods and Randall do possess artistic talent, but once again they bring us the quality that is only equaled by a children’s picture book.  I feel as if I’m opening the pages of a baby book, the only difference is this issue is made of paper while a baby book made of cardboard.  The use of color is quite good, but the figures are too wooden and unproportional for me to enjoy the artistic value of the book.

Overall
This series, while fun to read, I fear will be a complete let down once the final issue comes out next month.  I really can’t comprehend why this was made into a separate series.  DC could have kept this whole arc in the actual Superman title and given Mon-El his own mini-series.  I have a feeling that once I read next months issue, I will be left unsatisfied and empty inside from reading this series.  This issue, in and of itself is great thanks to Rucka, but overall, the series I fear is going to be a complete let down.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars

Next Issue Coming February 3^rd, 2010

Now that the conspiracy involving New Krypton's council has been brought to light, can Superman keep his people from tearing each other apart? And what does a skull-shaped ship flying towards New Krypton mean?