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The first two books of Flash Rebirth gave me a somewhat kind introduction to some of the ideas surrounding Flash and the speed force. We have to remember when reading this that the scientific ideas contained within most comic books (especially the Flash) are a blend between real science and total fiction, weighted heavily towards the latter. So when making a work of scientific fiction such as this, writers like Geoff Johns are charged with the difficult task of not only explaining this new science to us, but also with convincing us that such a science is plausible. I have always thought that the best way to do such a thing would be to keep your audience in the dark in terms of the science and just let them assume it’s possible.

Johns is going about it a totally different way. He assumes that if he gets really technical with everything and lets us see the phony science, we will think it to be so complex that we may as well just be in the dark. Now I am sure there are more than a few Flash fans out there with some real scientific know-how that could either confirm or disprove my theory that Flash authors kind of just make things up and let us use our own super power, suspension of belief, to do the rest. Now that’s normally fine with me, but issue three here actually went so far as to contain an equation that explained the relationship between speed, time, and Barry Allen. Come on, Geoff.

So why did I just spend two whole paragraphs rambling about bogus science? Because it did take away from the issue for me a little bit. At this point in the Rebirth event, it’s time to move beyond technicalities and into some plot directions or action or something. Sure, the story is inching forward (definitely not tapping into the speed force), but it’s starting to feel like the overworked Geoff Johns is stalling.

Don’t think that I hated this issue, though. I really did enjoy the snippets of real plot and the art throughout. I have read a few reviews claiming that Van Sciver’s art is starting to look inconsistant from page to page, but so far I think that each frame presents art of superior quality that doesn’t let up up for a second. The writing of the issue isn’t totally pointless. If my experiences with DC writers lately has taught me anything, it is that boring issues are necessary to facilitate some really exciting ones.

Geoff Johns has recently done some brilliantly exciting work with his Green Lantern run, Agent Orange. But it isn’t fair to compare the two. Johns has tons of momentum from previous Green Lantern stories in order to build up to what he has now. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen Barry Allen in a while; so I think he has done a great job thus far with bringing a practically new character to life, building a brand new momentum, and hopefully bringing it into an exciting climax within the next few months.

(3.5/5)

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At the end of last month’s Green Lantern Corps we saw Ion Sodam Yat commit suicide for the sake of saving his home planet Daxam. What we may not have realized was that he did so in the center of the planet’s red sun, giving it just the growth that it needed to make it a yellow star. This month, Tomasi picked up the story from there as the Daxamite survivors gained the same powers that Sodam had on other planets (laser vision and flight). Okay, I’ll stop. Maybe I am spoiling a little bit too much for those of you who have yet to read this issue. I will say that you can imagine what is now in store for the Daxamites and the Sinestro Corps members under Mongul who are attempting to enslave them.

The majority of the issue, however takes place on Oa. Just about all of the sciencell prisoners have escaped and are now either wreaking havoc on Oa or attempting to flee. Luckily, some of the prisoners have some morsel of respect for the Lanterns and are helping them quell the uprising. The ensuing chaos provides some of the most suspenseful and exciting action that could possibly take place in a comic book. Between the lanterns and criminals joining forces, the rookie lanterns trying to hit the front lines, and a surprising couple of pages involving the darkest portion of the emotional power spectrum; I guarantee your socks will be knocked the hell off.

As I noticed in last month’s issue, Pat Gleason continues to prove that his strength is in the portrayal of action. Never have I gotten a greater feel of movement on a static page than with these past two issues of Green Lantern Corps. And Tomasi’s writing is such that the action is simply unrelenting. Every time I lost the urge to bit my nails, I moved to the next frame and gained it right back.

As far as the Emerald Eclipse storyline goes, we still have one issue coming to us. I am pretty sure that the side story with Lanterns Ash and Saarek is concluded in Green Lantern 42 (it is continued here to give us a better idea of their connection to each other), but the last page of this issue will leave you ensured that we should have another issue under Emerald Eclipse left before Blackest Night emerges.

In the meantime, you could probably read this issue a few times and never get bored. I really appreciate how well the excitement was done in this issue. Peter Tomasi and Pat Gleason obviously have a great chemistry together. So much improvement has taken place since the outset of this story arc, and it is bound to conclude with some fireworks.

(4/5)

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Like many other Batfans, I wasn’t exactly the happiest camper when I found out that Bruce Wayne would not be the brave man wearing the cape and cowl (at least for now), but this first issue of Streets of Gotham has stirred something inside of me that I thought would never exist for anything short of a book like Hush, a movie like Batman Begins, or a Batman like Bruce Wayne.

With the first story arc of this new monthly series, Dick Grayson as Batman is going to face quite a bit of problems. The main problem, and this a problem that he is not only getting from villains in Gotham but from us as readers as well, is that those who know that there is a new man under the hood aren’t quite sure that he will cut it and will test him to every extent that they can.

At the outset, we are introduced to the the new Batman and Robin team via a quick catch-and-release of the trying-to-reform Harley Quinzell. Unlike the Batman and Robin title, this depiction of the Dynamic Duo focuses more on their interaction together with the rest of the world rather than with each other. I think that it is more enjoyable this way, mainly because I noticed that I was not as annoyed by Damien as Robin with this title. Once again, bear with me if you are a fan of the little brat.

As far as villains go, I am much more intrigued with this book over Batman and Robin. For one, there is a an unknown vigilante patrolling the streets and protecting young girls who are being forced into prostitution. This guy may be named Abuse, but he also may just be Dick Grayson in a Matches Malone type of disguise. For now, Firefly presents the most immanent threat. Black Mask helped him concoct a new substance that is helping him fry several citizens alive via remote trigger. On the side of all of that, Thomas Elliot (AKA Hush) is playing the Hannibal Lector role with Damien as the Clarice Starling. Though he sits behind glass and presents little to no threat at this point, his mere presence is a storm cloud looming in the distance with future issues of Streets of Gotham lying in its path.

I am going to go ahead and proclaim here and now that Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen are officially my favorite writer/artist team in comics right now. I had a feeling way back with the Heart of Hush storyline in Detective Comics that they really had something going on. Now I am sure of it. It’s no secret that Paul Dini is a fantastic Batman writer. I have been enjoying his Batman tales ever since I was a kid watching Batman the Animated Series. This new issue is no different. When it comes to a kick-ass story and dialogue, one needs to look no further than the work Paul Dini has achieved with Streets of Gotham 1. Dustin Nguyen’s work shouldn’t go overlooked here. His artwork is 50% realism and 100% style. At the beginning of the issue it seems like Batman is operating right at dusk, yet he is able to keep his face at least partially in shadow at all times. His characters, rather than looking like average people, are characterizations of themselves. They appear the way they should based on what they are on the inside. The backgrounds he creates don’t feel like artistic backgrounds at all, but like atmospheres for each unique character to move in. I feel like I am seeing the story in my minds eye rather than with the art on the page.

If you are only going to read one of the new Bat-Books that are being released right now, make it this one. From all that is contained in this issue, it is a given that the issues to come are going to be some of the most entertaining pieces of popular fiction to be released this year. Based on that and everything else I have said, I am giving this issue the highest possible honor that this humble website can possibly bestow: the first five-star rating! Go to a comic book shop and buy this issue! NOW!

(5/5)

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The last time we read a Green Lantern issue, we witnessed the the first clash of the Green Lantern Corps and Agent Orange. We discovered that Orange Lanterns really aren’t alive at all, but are constructs created by Larfleeze, the sole owner of all of the power contained in the orange power battery. At the outset of this issue, we pick up right where we left off. Hal Jordan wears both a blue and a green power ring and is trapped in Larfleeze’s glowing orange lair. Jon Stewart has been secluded away from the battle by Fatality. Meanwhile, the Guardians and a small group of Green Lanterns are struggling to contain Larfleeze’s battalion of greedy constructed soldiers.

In terms of battle, this issue has it all. Hal is in the midst of a battle of the mind with Larfleeze. He is hoping to use the brute’s avarice against him in order to catch him off-guard and at least escape. The guardians are taking the more physical role in the battle, as they struggle to fend off the obviously powerful constructs. Thankfully, you will also see some calmer pieces of plot here. I’m not saying that they will not eventually result in violence, but I am saying that there will be small breaks in the intensity that help to pace everything out.

For one page, we are also introduced to a new Green Lantern (Lantern Ash) character who is holed up in Space Sector 666, the location of the horrible events on Ysmault. I have now discovered the reason for Peter Tomasi’s strange on-page plot additions (Lantern Saarek) in his run on with on Green Lantern Corps. Reading ahead has shown me that these two Lanterns will soon converge paths, but that’s enough spoiling for now.

My favorite piece of this issue is the conversation that takes place between Hal Jordan and Larfleeze. At some points, one really starts to sympathize with the villain in that his natural greed was amplified by the power of the orange light, making him the monster that he is. We also get a deep look into the shady dealings that take place between evil characters and the guardians all to often. More than any of that, I like the philosophical questions that arise from the coexistence of the blue and orange rings, hope and greed. The distinction between what we want and what we hope for is an interesting topic that Geoff Johns has the opportunity to explore with this story.

As expected, the art is fantastic. With this issue, I seemed to notice more of the frames that look like paintings rather than cartoons. My favorite one was the close up of the pile of orange power rings with the hero and the villain facing off in the out-of-focus background.

Overall, this issue blew my mind even more than the last one. I highly recommend getting into it if you aren’t already. Unfortunately if you plan to read the issues of Blackest Night, you may not have enough time to read an Agent Orange trade in time to get all of the information that you are definitely going to need this July.

(4/5)

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Solomon Grundy 1 was one of the first comics that I reviewed on the site, and since then I have more or less ignored the title. It was still on my pull list throughout the past months and I have been reading it, but it unfortunately fell along the wayside as the events of Battle for the Cowl and the Blackest Night preludes unfolded. So once again, I am shamelessly combining my reviews of the second, third, and fourth issues of Solomon Grundy.

In its own right, Solomon Grundy is just as much of a prelude to Blackest Night as any Green Lantern title, in that the events that unfold here will do so and conclude before Blackest Night is in full swing. The premise is that the tragic villain must learn the details of his own murder, find his killer, and forgive him or her before the dusk of the Blackest Night. Being a dead man, Solomon might not fare well when the Black Lanterns start recruiting.

As far as I know, Solomon Grundy has always been a second tier villain in the DC Universe. He’s the type of villain that I like to see as part of a team, but would probably never constitute a large enough threat to any major hero to worry me too much. In the Solomon Grundy series, we see him as that major threat, but also as several other things. We see that he was murdered in the nineteenth century and that his place of burial was cursed by the blood of a demon felled several ages ago. For the most part, he is probably quite misunderstood by the heroes of the DCU in that he most likely has no evil intentions in any of his actions. Better yet, he doesn’t seem to have much of any intention in anything that he does. Up until this series, his modus operandi has been to steer clear of society and live (kinda) a solitary “life”.

Now Grundy has been given the opportunity to finally die and stay dead. I suppose that someone who has apparently died and resurrected on a weekly basis for longer than a century might find the thought of staying dead pretty alluring. Unfortunately, such a permanent slumber isn’t going to come easily.

By only the second issue, our Solomon Grundy finds himself in both an explosive and ironic battle with Bizarro (he just wants to be friends!). I have to say, once I saw that cover I was hooked on this Solomon Grundy for the long haul. A battle between two of the most brutal yet sweetest villains in the DCU just can’t be anything other than pure fun, which it absolutely was.
With the next issue, the great Scott Kollins gave us Grundy versus Poison Ivy. So far, I think this third issue is the weakest of the bunch, but it was still great and provided several important plot points to move the story along.

Lastly (so far, at least) there is Grundy versus Alan Scott as Green Lantern. This one was probably the most enjoyable read in the series thus far for me. In that situation, it was hard for me to decide who to root for. Scott Kollins really does some great work exploring the grey areas of humanity as far as which violent actions we can morally justify and where we draw the line with someone we wish to think of as a hero (at least in the context of this miniseries).

Speaking of Scott Kollins, wow! It is difficult to believe that he is pulling all of this off on his own for the most part. The colorist, Michael Atiyeh, really does some amazing work. He and Kollins really make the art entrancing. On top of the writing and pencil work, Kollins is also creating the magnificent covers. Bravo!

If you have the extra bucks, you should really consider this series in your next trip to the comic shop. When I say it could be thought of as a prelude to Blackest night, I am not saying that I believe the information is going to be essential when the event rolls around, but I do think this series is a good look at how it can effect some of the other characters in the DCU that won’t be playing major roles in the latter half of this summer.

(4/5)

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