Superman: Last Son HC (DC, 2008)

This book is one reason why I wait for the collected editions of comics so I can read the entire story in one go. Last Son was so beset with delays, mostly from artist Adam Kubert, that DC had to put it on hiatus for four issues while Kubert got his groove back. In the end the story had to be wrapped up in an Annual.

Geoff Johns and his old Hollywood boss Richard Donner were probably thinking, "Hey, Hollywood! This is how you give Superman a "son"!" when they wrote Last Son. They decided to bring General Zod, Ursa and Non from the Christopher Reeve Superman movie into Superman comic continuity when Superman finds a shuttle with a young boy in it and is shocked to discover that he's a Kryptonian. Before Clark and Lois can pass the boy off as a relative, the boy's real parents arrive on Earth: He is actually the spawn of Zod and Ursa but unlike his parents, he's not a megalomaniac bent on world domination. Yet.

Superman has to team up with Luthor to defeat the escapees from the Phantom Zone and downtown Metropolis gets destroyed yet again in the ensuing battle. Oh, multi-coloured Kryptonites are also introduced here. Or is that re-introduced? I'm not up to par with my Superman mythos, sorry.

One of the issues collected here (the Phantom Zone issue) is in 3D and glasses are provided. My first experience with 3D in comics was a Batman graphic novel back in the 80s and the effect in Last Son is the same as it was for me when I read that 3D Batman book: bloody annoying. Oh sure, it looks nice with all the "special effects" but ultimately pointless.

I honestly thought the story would end with Lois and Clark adopting "Christopher" so the poignant ending...so not expected. I'm one of those people who hates it when a junior version of a superhero is introduced in my pop culture but Last Son works mainly because it did not end happily ever after. But I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing Christopher Kent again in the not too distant future*.

Good job by Johns, Donner and Adam Kubert.

*Or then again, maybe not.

Great Moments In Comics History No. 6: Lezzle Pon

Just wanna chime in and just repeat what most fans have already known for several months now (hey, I don't buy floppies anymore so I'm always late): The Sinestro Corps War is damn bloody awesome! Lots of punching, kicking, zapping and not really introducing anything new by the story's end. Oh sure, there's all that new spectrum of Lanterns, but really, what the fans wanted was the illusion of change and this storyline delivered.

I particularly like this one scene when Guy Gardner is infected by a microscopic member of the Sinestro Corp called Despotellis. This parasitic bastard doesn't need a ring to kill you. It just swims in your bloodstream for a few hours and you'll melt from the inside. Nice.

So how do you fight a virus?



By siccing a super-intelligent smallpox virus bent on revenge on it, that's how!

Justice League of America: The Lightning Saga HC

You know, there is no way a comic called The Justice League of America featuring Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman could ever be boring. There's just no way.

Well, this second volume of JLA which collects the "Lightning Saga" storyline, which originally ran through three issues of the League comic and two issues of the Justice Society of America series, proved me wrong. It's probably the first comic trade featuring scantily clad superheroes that I have had trouble finishing. I literally took a week to finish the damn thing. No, I'm not a slow reader, wiseguy. It was just that boring. Here's the gist of the story: The League discovers that several members of the Legion of Super-Heroes from the 31st century are here today in 'our' Earth. No one knows for sure why and the LSH ain't telling and when Superman tried to find out, the good guys end up fighting a psycho computer with tentacles. No, really. Which was also the first really big fight we get to see in this "saga". It also appeared in the Justice Society part of the crossover. The JLA portion of the saga mostly had Power Girl and Black Canary standing like two pinup models posing for a photo shoot. Hey girls, less strutting your stuff and more punching, mmm-kay?? This is a superhero comic book after all. I want mindless punching, maybe some quick quips and the occasional exposition to get the plot moving. But just you standing there mouthing off words? Naaww. It gets tired pretty quick. If I wanted to stare at boobs, I'll go buy one of those "guy" magazines, know what I mean? Work with me here, people!!

There are a couple of done-in-one issues that round up this collection (Walls and Monitor Duty) which I haven't read yet, I admit. I was just too bored with the Lightning Saga that I just had to warn all five people who read my blog to please avoid this book. Go read it at Borders or the local library but for Heavens' sakes don't bother parting with your money for this. Yes, it's that bad. I only bought it because I had the first trade collection. That book wasn't any great shakes either but I decided to give volume 2 a chance just to see if it gets any more exciting. Nope.

Oh, and the whole Legion of Super-Heroes thing? Turned out they just wanted to bring Flash (Wally West) and his family back. Should I have given a spoiler warning? Eh, who cares. I just saved you 25 bucks. Thank me.

The Flash, volume 0: Wonderland (DC, 2007)

DC has finally seen fit to go back and collect Geoff Johns' very first story arc as writer of The Flash and with this trade all of Johns' Flash stories have been collected (seven volumes total, collect them all!). This trade collects issues #164-#169. I don't know why they didn't release this as Geoff Johns first volume of Flash, choosing instead to go with #170-#176 (Volume 1: Blood Will Run)* but whatever. I'm glad it's finally collected.

The Flash, volume 0: Wonderland sees Wally West trapped in a mirror world where superheroes exist but they play for keeps. After the defeat of this alternate world's Teen Titans (sans a Kid Flash) where only Robin survived, the adult heroes decided that only they should be allowed to fight the criminals and to hell with due process. Any masked criminal they can find, dies. In this world, Barry Allen is still a scientist but he was never doused with chemicals that would turn him into the Flash. No Barry Allen Flash and no Wally West Flash in this world. And Jay Garrick's long dead. Also, no Speed Force for 'our' Wally to tap into so he's a normal man running from the law at normal speed. He soon discovers that Captain Cold and Mirror Master are also trapped in this dark and unfriendly world. How did all three end up together in this strange world and with a powerless Flash, how do they hope to escape back to their own world?

Wonderland may at first look like a typical "hero in an alternate world" storyline but Johns turns a typical run off the mill plot into one with a couple of twists and turns. Without giving away too much, it's all an elaborate act of vengeance. Yes, Mirror Master had a hand in Flash's exile (trapped in a mirror world? Kinda obvious) but no, it wasn't his idea. The main baddie is someone new but when I first read the story, I thought Geoff Johns dug this guy up from some old Flash comic. Such is Johns reputation for using old plot points and old characters and giving them a fresh look that anyone who hasn't been reading the book for years and years would probably be fooled and yes, I was fooled. But in a fun way. Well done, Mr. Johns.

The entire collection is a quick, fun read and the art by Angel Unzueta (pencils) and Doug Hazelwood (inks) is very good though they went for the lantern-jaw look for Wally which always makes me giggle like a pre-pubescent girl whenever I see it (I'm easily amused, what can I say). This trade is a must have if you're a Geoff Johns fan and you collect every thing that he has written. For those who are collecting his Flash run, Wonderland is of course a no-brainer addition.

*According to Amazon, Flash volume 1: Blood Will Run, which is out of print is scheduled to be made available again in early 2008. Good news for those of us who missed the book the first time around.

Currently Reading "Justice Society of America: The Next Age" HC

It's 10 am, Monday. I'm at the office. I know I should be doing something work-related but screw it, I'm reading me some comics. Just finished the hardcover collection of the rebooted Justice Society of America in JSA: The Next Age by Geoff Johns and Dale Eaglesham. I love it. It's got Wildcat punching Vandal Savage in the back, it's got Wildcat's son running away from Vandal Savage and he's furry (the son, not Vandal Savage). And Nazis killing people at a family picnic. Bad Nazis. Also, Power Girl. Can't go wrong with Power Girl.

Johns writing isn't bad (although a Confederate racist super villain called 'Rebel'? Seriously?) but what I like about this book is Eaglesham's pencils. We get so many bad artists in so-called top of the line comics nowadays, it's quite serendipitous to look at pictures by someone who can, you know...draw.

Slightly disappointed that it only collects the first four issues, though. For USD$19.99 (USD$13.59 at Amazon), I'd expect at least a couple of issues more. If you think this is highway robbery, you can always wait for the softcover but I'm not sure if DC will release this in softcover. The relaunched Green Lantern title is still only collected in hardcover.

This is a good albeit short superhero comic. Bring on the second collection.

Green Lantern: Rebirth (D.C.)

In 1994, the people at D.C. Comics who were in charged of the Green Lantern smoked one too many of those funny cigarettes and came up with the daring idea of turning Hal Jordan, Earth's Green Lantern, into bad guy Parallax and eventually had him killed and turned into the vengeful spirit, Spectre.

Green Lantern fanboys went ape-shit crazy. And that's the worst kind of crazy, let me tell you. I admit I don't have a confirmation on this but the D.C. office was swamped with angry letters and even unsolicited story ideas from fans who refused to accept the "Hal Jordan joined the Dark Side and now he's a ghost" storyline. But D.C. was adamant. Hal Jordan is gone. Live with it, people.

Fast forward to 2004 and the launch of the mini-series, Green Lantern: Rebirth. I like to call it Green Lantern: Retcon because that's what it is. Geoff Johns was brought in to clean up the mess that he didn't make and he had to make it good. It's not great literature (it's a comic book, whatchoo expect?) but as comic retcons go it's not half bad. Ethan Van Sciver was tasked with the pencilling chores.

Johns decided that the biggest retcon is the Parallax nonsense. Yeah, it's not Hal's evil alter ego. It's not Hal's evil twin. Parallax is actually the embodiment of fear itself and it actually looks like this:

Parallax is a big yellow grasshopper. I'll give you a minute to let that sink in. Don't worry, I'll still be here when you come back.

Hi, welcome back! You okay with that revelation? Hal Jordan was possessed by a yellow alien grasshopper. Apparently, the Parallax grasshopper thingy was banished into the Central Lantern Battery by the Guardians of the Universe a long time ago before comics were invented. It stayed imprisoned inside the Battery waiting for the right person to set it free. Parallax found the right person. No, not Jordan. Jordan's just the host. Parallax found this guy:

Yes, who else but Sinestro. He was actually a Green Lantern before he joined the Other Side, but really, if your name is Sinestro, I don't see how you can stay a good guy for long. Especially with that mustache. All he needs now is a top hat and cape and he can terrorise young ladies on railway tracks all day long. And if you don't know what I'm talking about....don't worry. Nobody's perfect.

Anyway, by this time Hal Jordan's soul decides to leave the Spectre and flies back into his own dead body. Jordan's back! Fanboys rejoice! Yay! See, that wasn't so hard, D.C.

Hal Jordan. Sinestro. They fight.

Jordan kicks Sinny's ass in double quick time but the flying egghead man with diabolical mustache manages to escape to another dimension. Of course. That's what I would do. Now Jordan and the remaining Green Lanterns (Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner and Kilowog) have to go and have a little chat with Parallax the yellow tinted grasshopper embodiment of Fear. But first, Batman expresses his doubts regarding Hal's innocence. Here is Bats doing the paranoid schtick (oh yeah, didn't I mention? The Justice League, Justice Society and Teen Titans have a brief cameo):




Batman should watch out for the Angry Black Man. He's not afraid of you, Batman. And neither is Hal Jordan. Batman doesn't trust anyone who isn't afraid of him and Hal Jordan is so high up on the bravery scale that Bats' "fear me for I am sexier than you!" strategy doesn't work on him. In fact, he lays one on Batman instead:


Holy Sucker Punch, Batman! That's gotta hurt. Maybe it was payback for this?

The Lanterns then go do battle with Parallax who has possessed Ganthet, the leader of the Guardiands of the Universe. Suffice it to say, they succeed.

Parallax is sent back into the Central Battery on the Guardians' planet of OA and the heroes go back to Earth for a lot of hi-fiving and back slapping. Except for Batman. He's still pissed off, more than usual. But he concedes that Jordan's return could be a good thing. That is Bat-speak for "Welcome back, old friend!"

Back at the Green Arrow's place, Hal Jordan is reunited with his old Lantern ring charger thing which Green Arrow has kept all this time:

Welcome back, Hal Jordan.