Frankensein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #7

Ok, let me go on record as saying that I have alot of criticisms for this series thus far, and have completely ignored them in favor of just enjoying the hell out of it, but this last issue of Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE bothered me.

I love Jeff Lemire and pretty much red anything he writes )I'm finally caught up on Sweet Tooth!), and I love Alberto Ponticelli's gestural artwork. My problem with this issue is twofold. I found myself checking the title page several times to make sure that Ponticelli actually penciled this book, and decided that he was either sorely rushed or had a different inker and colorist. The visuals were horrible!

Now, understanding that half of the characters are of the undead persuasion, I risk saying that the pages lacked their usual life. The fact that this trend got progressively worse until the final awful page, tells me that, if Mr. Ponticelli pencils his pages in numerical order, that he was horribly behind schedule.

I could say the same for Batwoman #7, but that's another post entirely. I feel as though the New 52 is loosing steam rapidly, which is really bad for new DC readers. like myself, who were hit with a barrage of exciting new books and adventures, only to taper off after the first story arc. Which leads me to another irk of mine.

Many of the New 52 story arcs don't seem to stick the landing. When we get the trade, it will undoubtedly collect issues #1-6, per industry standard. If this is the first issue of the next story arc, it makes no damned sense. Sure they could collect #1-5 instead, but to hell with paying trade prices for five-issue books. I just bought a Sweet Tooth trade that was eight issues long. EIGHT ISSUES. That's getting your money's worth. I don't know how the New 52 trade structure will pan out, and for most of the books, I'm reading, I'm not sticking around any longer to find out.

I know that comics take time to create. I've taken 5 months to write one issue of my own comic, and it isn't even laid out yet! I don't work for DC, however. So When a monthly title delivers in its first 5 issues and starts to feel rushed in subsequent issues, I feel that it is a momentum that can't be kept and I won't keep reading it.

This issue was a mess from the start and a train wreck at the finish. It took only a few minutes to read, which tells me that the story didn't move much, and in those few minutes, it was a sloppy mucky-muck of muddy artwork. I know Jeff Lemire is a good writer. I also know that Alberto Ponticelli is a marvelous artist. So it makes sense that, togetehr, they should put out an enjoyable sequential story. Well, it seems to me that both of these talents were victims of scheduling. Clearly, the quality that we've seen from this book can't compete with DC's deadlines. maybe they were too busy slapping a new ugly logo on all their books to realize that they were compromising their craft.

It would break my heart to drop this book. I like the creators and want to support them, but there are other creators I respect that I chose not to support this last month, because preordered this hot mess. Publish a week late if you have to, but please publish work that is consistent with what you have shown us prior to this.

The New 52 is falling off the wagon.

I give Frankenstein: Agent of CRAP two lumpy inkers down.

FAIL DC. You have failed these creators.

First round of DC cuts - Mine are safe

Of the New 52 DC titles released last September, I am currently reading six. DC has announced that six titles will be cut after an evaluation of sales. I wasn't particularly worried about five of the titles I read, but Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. may not be for everyone, so I was a little worried. While titles that were met with poor criticism will stay based solely on name alone(Green Arrow, Detective Comics, Teen Titans, etc),  some of the cuts still confuse me. I'm not surprised that Blackhawks and Mister Terrific are being cut. I didn't read them, and I heard they were terrible. I'm not sure what to think about Men at War being cut. It seemed like most people I heard from were generally positive and it was one of the only war books DC launched. Static Shock surprises me slightly, because I know there are diehard fans out there, just maybe not enough to hold sales at a decent amount.

What surprised me the most is the cancellation of O.M.A.C. and Hawk and Dove. Now, I am no huge fan of Rob Leifeld, but he has a pretty strong following from what I see on the interwebs. There are people on message boards that will defend his silly artwork to the teeth. Everyone that I've heard talk about O.M.A.C. has said that it's a super-fun book. I really did not expect to see it on the chopping block first. Maybe this is Dan Didio's way of telling his staff that nobody is safe if they don't pull the numbers that are expected and as an act of good faith, he let his own book be chopped.

These cancellations are not simply disappearing into the ether to leave teh New 52 as the New 46. Oh no, sir. We are getting a new round of books. Among others, DC is launching yet another Batman Book. I'm not sure why this one was held for the second round, because I hear that Batman Inc. is a high seller. We will also be getting Earth 2, World's Finest, The Ravagers, G.I. Combat, and the only one that looks mildly interesting to me, Dial H.

I feel like the only cancellation that really bothers me is DC's logo cancellation.
This is the current logo:

 

And this is the prospective logo:

 

To put it lightly, I think the new logo sucks. The old one is less than a decade old and it was strong. Personally, I liked the one from the 80's and 90's:

Batwoman #1

I was really excited for Batwoman solely due to images I had seen of J.H.Williams' artwork on Detective Comics. I wasn't disappointed. I have to admit, however, I got a little confused. It could be because I am completely new to secondary DC characters and this book seems to be a continuation as opposed to a reboot. Another reason could be the layouts. Don't get me wrong, they are beautiful. The problem I had was with the amount of 2-page spreads and different art styles and media being used on each single page. The first half of the book is easier to understand than the second, due to the lack of intermingled flashbacks and such. Once the backstory started being explained, I just lost my way.

I honestly can't tell if it was written well, because most of what I saw after the flashbacking started was non-sequential, albeit beautiful, artwork.

Since this is such an art-heavy book, let's look at a particularly gorgeous spread by the talented Mr. Williams. this happened near the beginning of the book, in the 2-pagers that weren't quite as confusing.

The motion that is captured in this sequence is exquisite. That's what really pulled me into the art. It's as if every shard of glass was mapped out and would fit perfectly as puzzle pieces into the broken window. As an artist myself, it's very clear to me just how much skill this artist brings to the table. I'm onboard for at least the first story arc, for the art alone, although I have heard that the art duties will be shared since co-writing and providing the art on such a detailed book would be too heavy a workload for Mr.(or Ms. I suppose) Williams to meet deadlines. It's understandable.

I give Batwoman #1 two ghostly pale, alternative heroines up and one scratching my head with a batarang in confusion to the side.

The Flash #1

All you need to know about how I feel about this comic is in in this image. I freaking loved it. I don't know much about Barry Allen except people seem to see him as having no personality. This Barry Allen is basically Peter Parker on speed. I liked it. I liked the dialogue. I liked the art. I liked the layouts. It was a good superhero comic book. That's really all that needs to be said. Art is by Francis Manapul (hehe) and it is written by Brian Buccellato. Good good good. These are the kind of pages that Chris Bachalo wishes he laid out.

My only complaint is that it was (ahem) kind of a fast read.

I give The Flash #1 two awesomely laid out pages up.

New 52: Aftermath Omega #0.1 Tie-In

What I've read so far:

Animal Man - Sticking with it
Swamp Thing - Sticking with it
Batwoman - Giving it one more issue
Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE - Sticking with it
The Dark Knight - Not buying #2
The Flash - Sticking with it
Justice League Dark - Giving it one more issue
Superman - Sticking with it
Teen Titans - Dipped it in acetone

Superman #1

*SPOILERS*

We get our main Superman title in the last batch of new 52's. The grand opening of the all new, all different Daily Planet. We get a burly Perry White complaining to Lois Lane about the lack of integrity of an all-online news publisher, and Lois, of course, wondering where Clark is. Pan over to Superman hovering above the ruins of the freshly demolished all old, all the same Daily Planet. Then a fire monster shows up, then Superman fights it, then he wins, then he goes to Lois's apartment, then he finds a dude there, then some other shit happens. I will go on record saying that this thing is one wordy sonofabitch. I don't think the bulk of the text was unnecessary, however. There wasn't very much campy dialogue, either. The narrative were not done in a point-of-view way. Instead they were exactly what they are supposed to be, narrative.
There was no;
      [I realized the fire wasn't igniting the metal]
It was more like;
      [Superman discovered that the metal was becoming fire]
It's not that big of a deal, but I liked the way they were done from a third person perspective.
      [Superman realized that because of the unfreezing process, he had no inner monologue]

 So, in regards to the writing and dialogue duties, I think George Perez handled them well. There was alot of action and alot of story. By the time I was done, it felt like I had just watched a season premiere, and that is why I liked this book. Good way to use a #1.

The art by Jesus Merino is well done. It's reminiscent of the actiony art of the late 80s mixed with the photoshop colors of the mid 90s. That may or may not make any sense. I thought it was good. Not my favorite style of art, but it suits a Superman book just fine.

I picked up Superman #1 expecting to be indifferent, and I put it down two hours later being excited for the next issue. There was plenty of setup and story. It successfully communicates the status quo of the characters involved. The art is comic-booky and exciting. It's all-in-all a decently rewarding read. I wasn't blown away in the same way I was with Animal Man and Swamp Thing, but I certainly put it in my 'buy the next issue' pile.

I do think the Super Manties need to come back.

I give Superman #1 two flaming Daily Planets to the face up.

The Dark Knight #1

I know I said I was going to do Superman next, but I changed my mind.

Batman: The Dark Knight #1. I really don't have much to say about this comic, and that is a shocker to people who have ever read a blog post of mine. I have no color commentary. No inappropriate language. Ok, that's a lie. I will say some things that probably have something to do with feces, but that's pretty common for me.

SPOILER ALERT

I think this is a standard superhero comic book. This is exactly what I would expect for a Batman title. Batman dropping down from the Batwing and changing into a tux to go mingle and schmooze with dignitaries and exotic women with impossible poses as well as skirts. Then swinging by Arkham to stick a few batarangs in the asses of one of the frequent prison breaks and possibly meet up with Scott Lobdell to 'clock some skulls together'.

Then, inevitably, he runs into a bad guy that is somehow more of a challenge than the hundreds of other inmates. Who else but...Twoface? He's a hulk of a man with tree branches for veins. Either this is Twoface that is juiced up on some of Bane's venom, or this is just what Twoface looks like in this new DC universe. He states that he is now called 'Oneface', despite still having zombie-mutant-stroke face on one side. I don't get it, but I guess I'll bother to buy the next issue to find out.

I know everyone loves David Finch's pencils, but I honestly have never really seen the draw *cough* of his art. He would be awesome if this was the mid-90s. I guess I just expect more from a big name artist than men that look like they are pinching a loaf in every panel(there's the poop reference) and women that throw their backs out with every pose. The art doesn't offend me, but I don't think it's all that and a bag of chips.

I am relatively lukewarm on this book. I might buy the next one, but I'm doing so reluctantly.

I give Batman: The Dark Knight #1 one Twoface up and two Oneface's down. So...we're basically breaking even.

Teen Titans #1 - A bowl of suck sauce

I've been so inundated with good comics, that I've forgotten how beautiful it is to have a handful of crap to bitch about. Finally DC! I knew you'd come through.

"Darn, I was really hoping to clock a few skulls together."

It's dialogue like this that makes me want to kill myself for not pursuing a career writing comics. This book is full of this drivel. I heard that Superboy was good, but I'll never know, because if I have to read another book by Scott Lobdell after this one, I will scratch my eyes out. How about a book about a superhero that cleverly escapes a secret organization that has a witty acronym for a name and seeks out other would-be targets to join him in confronting this organization? This is the really special part - they're all teens!!!

Terrific.

Brett Booth's art looks like Youngblood ate Gen 13 and vomited up Freak Force. That's all I have to say about that.

This whole thing reeks of the 90's and Dan Didio's night emissions.

I hate this comic.
I give Teen Titans #1 one of Kid Flash's smoldering costumes down, and a foot up the ass of Scott Lobdell.

DC Score:
4 good/ 1 terrible

On to Superman.

Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE #1

The relaunch of the DC universe has given me, like many other Marvel readers, an ultimatum to finally stop hiding within my comfort zone and try something new. It's the kind of excitement I remember from being an eleven-year-old discovering that there are comics out there for virtually every genre and having a thirst for new books. Since I have very rudimentary knowledge of even the big name DC characters, this is all new for me.

Case in point, Frankenstein:AoS is another book that sounded outside of the mainstream DCU and right up my alley. It's another Jeff Lemire book, so I had high hopes since he blew me away with Animal Man. I've seen Alberto Ponticelli's artwork in Unknown Soldier and looked forward to the high-energy, gestural quality of his work, and he doesn't disappoint.

Basically, the plot is this. Frankenstein is an agent in a clandestine government agency that deals with threats of the super powered kind that seem to be infernal in nature. He is assisted by a vampire, a werewolf, a mummy, and a fish creature. Now, you may be thinking that this sounds slightly like Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. Well, it's exactly like that. I don't think that's a bad thing. I love Hellboy and I love the genre that it falls into, So we make Hellboy green and call him Frankenstein. So what? It's fun!

It's monsters being recruited to fight monsters. I don't need to defend it. Now, if any of you know of some titles that might tie into this one, let me know. Personally, I prefer books that are stand-alone tales, but I have Daredevil and X-Factor in case this doesn't pan out.

I give Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE #1 two broken horns of Anung un Rama up for enjoyability, and one rocky red thumb to the side for creativity.

Swamp Thing - Second New 52 book for me

I a few more of the New 52 today. I've learned a lesson here. Next time a publisher reboots it's entire universe, don't wait to ebay the comics you want to read. I've been paying an average of about five bucks apiece for these puppies.

So, Swamp Thing #1. Written by Scott Snyder. We have a thorough introduction to the main character, and why we want to be interested in him. This is a good full-on setup issue, since the only Swamp Thing happens on the last page. I don't mind. I'm sure we'll be seeing much more in the upcoming issues.

The DC Universe seems to be fully established and present. We see Clark Kent on the phone with Batman, and then apparently on a three-way(kinky) call with Aquaman. Then Superman shows up and talks to Alec about the burden of coming back from the dead.

I feel that Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire are going to connect with both Animal Man and Swamp Thing really well. The horror genre is really pleasing me right now. It's giving these writers and artists a chance to really put out some intriguing stuff. Speaking of art(and I usually do), Yanick Paquette shines in this. I just realized that he does his own inks. I hope this isn't too large a workload with how detailed and thorough his art is. I would hate to see him take too many breaks from doing this every month. The art is splendid.

I kind of wish I hadn't picked my New 52 books so wisely, just so I could have something negative to talk about. Maybe I'll check out Legion of Superheroes. I heard that's a pile of crap.

I give Swamp Thing #1 two neck-twisting, mutant death flies up.

Animal Man - My first New 52 book

Animal Man is the first book I've picked up from the New 52 and it was the one that was the most appealing to me due to the 'everyman' approach to the character. I like superheroes being accessible in that way.

The intro interview page made me think of Alan Moore's articles in the beginning of every Watchmen issue. I feel that Jeff Lemire has become a very mindful writer and really captures the humanity of the character, which is a very good approach considering he's Animal Man. Buddy balances having extraordinary powers with his family life. Not a topic we haven't seen in comics a hundred times, but it is written in a way that presents itself as fresh and new.

Yes, Buddy was a superhero. Yes he fights crime. What he does that is unique is struggle with feelings of sadness for the people committing the crimes that he is stepping in to stop. A gunman is in a children's ward of the hospital and is demanding to see his dead daughter of whom he is sure is still alive and the hospital is hiding her. Buddy doesn't smash through a wall and beat the guy up. Sure, he knocks the guy into a wall, but only after trying to talk him down and relate to him using his own children as an example. Then he tells the man that everything's going to be ok. It's this desperate need to help people without resorting to violence that makes this story intriguing. Maybe it's just written and paced extremely well.

The artwork by Travel Foreman doesn't hurt the story one bit, either. The realism and motion in his lines are something I have not seen very often in comics. It's simple, yet every contour that is on the page is relevant.

So many people reviewing this book have undoubtedly spent time talking about the dream sequence, so I'll only say a few things. Red is the only color used. The rest is in black and white only. This is significant to lead up to the entity that shows itself in the dream.

The visuals are striking and disturbing. This book has a distinct horror note to it. Which is nice. I haven't read a horror book in a long while. Let's not forget that many of the first comics of the Golden Age were horror stories. I honestly can't wait for the second issue and I hope that this book stays in print for a long time. with the same creative team.

I give Animal Man #1 two enthusiastic wags of a skeletal tail up.