wednesdayINreview: The Blackest and the Bold
Ever since the dawn of four-color heroics, some books each week have risen above all the others. With spoilers now lessened due to 24 hours 1 week, the gaijINside staff have decided to tell you what they liked. It’s time for another wednesdayINreview.
Ian Perez
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #10:
This is the second issue of the series by Landry Walker and Eric Jones, the creative team behind 2009’s best limited series, Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade. This one makes it obvious, thanks to an appearance by the Moon Gang, which originally appeared as part of a recurring gag, in Supergirl. Like the name indicates, they’re Moon-themed villains, which means they sport ray guns and bubble-helmets, commit moon-themed thievery, and say phrases like “Merciful Moonbeams! Retreat! Retreat to the safety of the moon!” despite the fact that they probably don’t have a space-ship. References to their previous work aside, the issue consists of Batman getting turned into a giant monster by Hugo Strange, forcing the Atom to pull out the “reverse the polarity of X for the reverse effect” to make himself grow to giant size. It’s as fun as you’d expect.
Detective Comics #858:
Broken record time, J.H. Williams III’s art in this book is absolutely gorgeous… and it’s not just the layouts, and the characters; it’s how versatile it is, and how it can completely change to fit the situation. For example, most of this issue consists of a flashback to the childhoods of twin sisters Kate “Batwoman” and Beth “Alice” Kane, which is drawn in a completely different (and yet, still excellent) style from the rest of the book. Special mention must go to colorist Dave Stewart, who complements both styles brilliantly. Buy. This. Book.
Groo- The Hogs of Horder #1:
Of late, Groo books have been used as extended allegories of whatever issue creators Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier find relevant. Last time it was global warming; this time it’s the economy, a much broader topic. Here, they try to tackle several different aspects of the issue, from China to outsourcing, to (I believe) the bailouts; and as such, the message is somewhat more murky than it was in their last mini-series. Not to say that this is a bad book: even aside from its message, this is top-notch Groo. The formula remains as always: Groo enters village alongside his faithful dog Rufferto, and chaos ensues. And so it does.
Madame Xanadu #16:
Amy Reeder Hadley returns to the book with this issue, which makes me pleased as punch. While Michael Kaluta’s art for the last arc was excellent in its own way, I’ve been a fan of Hadley since the original one-page ad for her Fool’s Gold series in Previews back in ’06, so I’m glad to see her art being given the recognition it deserves. Aaaaanyways, issue #16. This new story takes place in 1957’s Manhattan, where homemaker Betty Reynolds begins exhibiting some weird changes, from the relatively innocent (her skirts begin defying gravity) to the mindwrecking (insects come from her mouth). Madame Xanadu is hired to investigate. Props here have to be given to writer Matt Wagner, who does an excellent job of escalating the weirdness, and making it seem appropriately creepy. An excellent start to the new arc.
Seth Talley
Blackest Night #4:
Another fantastic entry in the newest crossover for the DC Universe. In this issue Green Lantern’s story takes a back seat to The Flash’s. At the end of the last issue Indigo-1 took Hal Jordan away to look for the other heads of the various Lantern Corps so they could recreate the white light that had keep the black light at bay for so long. So in this issue The Flash, Mera, and The Atom are left to face the Black Lantern Justice League. Barry Allen takes the front seat in the fight becoming chief motivator telling Mera, and The Atom to stop worrying if they are not the most powerful, and at this moment this point and time that they are the most important heroes in the world. The fight continues on until it looks as if Black Lantern Firestorm is going to kill the three of them, but at that moment Jason Rusch takes over the body of Firestorm and allows Flash, Atom, and Mera to escape through a phone line thanks to Atom. While on the other side of the line Barry lets them know that the fight is not yet over and they have to get more heroes together. Flash runs off to find Alan Scott and the JSA. When Flash arrives the JSA are all ready fighting the Black Lanterns, Flash then finds Alan Scott to tell him that his ring should be able to help stop the Black Lanterns. In the background Damage is fighting the Black Lantern version of his father the original Atom. During their fight current Atom (Ray Palmer) comes to Damage and tells him that nothing of his father is in the Black Lantern, the both fight him and it ends with Ray Palmer shrinking into the Black Lantern and growing inside of him to kill it. While Damage and Ray share a moment Palmer’s dead wife (Jean Loring) rips the heart of Damage out causing the black power battery to reach 100%. At this moment the black power battery, Scar, and Black Hand teleport to Coast City demanding all of its dead residents to rise while Nekron rises. Nekron then proceeds to tell Barry Allen that his life is owed to him everyone’s is.
Blackest Night- Titans #3:
This issue’s purpose is to show a preview of the white light to come. Two of the Titans must face their loved ones in Black Lantern form for the last time. Beast Boy must face his old love interest Terra, and Donna Troy must face off against here dead husband and child. Terra is challenging Beast Boy to still love here even though she is still evil, Beast Boy finally snapped out of it and does what needs to be done and did everything he could to defeat her. Donna Troy finally realized that these people are not the ones she had loved and proceeds to kill her dead husband and crushing her dead babies skull. Dove on the other hand is fighting her recently killed and risen sister, after giving up and letting her sister almost kill her. At this moment, Dove lets a white light release from her body that severs the connection of the Black Lantern ring. Suddenly all the other Black Lanterns come at Dove and she releases the Light once more destroying all of the Lanterns. Afterward Dove has passed out and has a vision seeing the original Dove telling New Dove not to give up, and that she may have the power to save everyone she knows.
Green Lantern #47:
This issue starts off with a bang. Atrocitus and his Red Lantern Corp are facing off against the Green and Black Lanterns, when suddenly Atrocitus is attacked by his fallen brothers and his heart is ripped out. Atrocitus does not die but his ring takes over his body, much like a berserker rage. The book then shifts over to Korugar where Hal Jordan, Sinestro, Carol Ferris, and Indigo-1 are facing off against the recently risen Abin Sur and his sister Arin. Hal faces up one on one against Abin and Sinestro goes one on one against Arin. Hal and Sinestro each are treated to the hearts worst fears. Hal hears about how he will never match up to Abin Sur’s run as Green Lantern of sector 2814, and Sinestro hears about his lost love Arin. Indigo-1 and Carol help to defeat them. The book then shifts to the Blue Lanterns facing off against the Orange Lantern, and the Blue Lanterns are getting hammered. At the moment when it looks like the Blue Lanterns are done Indigo-1, Hal, Carol, and Sinestro arrive to super charge the Blue rings and force the Orange Lantern back to his home world. While there Larfleeze is shown running from his Orange Lantern constructs reanimated, and when he finally admits he needs help Atrocitus shows up to kill Larfleeze to get his Orange Lantern battery.
Invincible Presents Atom Eve & Rex Splode #1:
Much like the first Invincible Presents mini series they show the origin of Rex Splode. He starts in a very like Aladdin way by stealing food for his family to eat. His father is then offered more money than he could ever imagine to sell his son, he accepted. Rex is then trained by the government to be a super spy and is surgically enhanced to give him a power that allows him to super charge anything with potential energy that is not a person, plant, or animal. What is then required for his power to work is a small bit of kinetic energy to make it explode. At the end of the issue Rex runs into Atom Eve and a relationship that is going to blossom.
Superman- Secret Origin #2:
This issue has the introduction of the Legion of Super Heroes. Clark is shown running around Smallville as Superboy helping people out, when out of no where the Legion of Super Heroes show up to say high to Clark. Clark then ask to come with them to see the future. He is then shown around the world and the Legion gets into trouble with one of their senior members Braniac 5. They send Clark back to his time. On the other side of Smallville Lex Luthor tries to gets his father killed so he may leave to go to Metropolis.
These are the books that the gaijINside staff felt noteworthy. While these may not be all the best books out there, and are likely not all they read that week, these are the books we consider worth checking out. Want to let us know what you read? Post in the comments, or as always, use the tag #medi8 to tell us on Twitter.
This article was co-written by Ian Perez and Seth Talley.
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