Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!

Wait...where's the Justice League?  Well, you won't find them in Justice League #1. 

This new series, the first of DC Comics' "New 52," only has appearances by Green Lantern, Batman, and a pre-Cyborg Victor Stone.  We see how the "new" Green Lantern and Batman meet and, as a side story, Vic Stone playing high school football.  Does this mean that Vic was never in The New Teen Titans, one of the greatest comic book series of all time?  How truly sad.

There wasn't a lot of "meat" to the highly anticipated (and sold-out) comic book, especially with a $3.99 price tag.  I sincerely hope it gets better.  Geoff Johns did a wonderful job in the past with super teams like the Teen Titans and Justice Society of America, so let's hope that he can accomplish the same with the new Justice League.  This issue, though, isn't it. 

I look forward to there actually being a Justice League in future issues and seeing more of its teammates.  At least from the cover, we can anticipate that DC decided to de-pants Wonder Woman in favor of her famous blue and white-starred bikini shorts. 

Flashpoint Fizzles Out

I just finished reading the 5-part Flashpoint mini-series and several related individual mini-series.  I was a bit disappointed, especially with the "grand" finale in Flashpoint #5.  All of the events just seemed to...fizzle out.  (Is anyone as tired of the overused Reverse Flash/Professor Zoom and redundant time-traveling storylines as me?)  I guess I was expecting more of a lead-in to DC's "New 52."  I learned more about Flashpoint and its consequences from reading articles online than from reading the comics, and there's some shame in that.  To me, that means that the writers, editors, and powers-that-be didn't do their job.   On a related note, I think the best part about Flashpoint #5 was the interaction between Flash and Batman at the end.  I wish more comic book series employed this human touch.  It makes the characters feel more real and relatable and demonstrates true story-writing ability. 

Aquaman looking bad-ass.

• Flashpoint: Batman Knight of Vengeance - one of the better related mini-series to the Flashpoint storyline.  It involves Thomas Wayne (Bruce's father) as Batman because Bruce died during the shooting that one fateful night at the theater instead of Thomas.  It's provides a good "what if?" storyline.
• Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons - another good mini-series with Deadman, Nightwing, and Dick Grayson's still-alive parents as traveling circusfolk.  
• Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman - another good Flashpoint related mini-series.  Aquaman and Wonder Woman's proposed union dissolves and the Atlanteans flood most of Europe, making him one of the world's most wanted. 
• Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies - Ties in with Emperor Aquaman.  While Aquaman has flooded most of Europe, Wonder Woman and her furies have taken over England. 
• Flashpoint: Citizen Cold - Captain Cold as a hero?  Well...not really.  And not really a great story either.  
• Flashpoint: Deathstroke & the Curse of the Ravager - Ever wonder what would happen if you crossed Deathstroke and Capt. Jack Sparrow?  Me neither.  Skip it.  I read the first issue and it was as lame as expected.
• Flashpoint: Legion of Doom - the Legion of Doom, with its recognizable headquarters shaped like a scary, giant Darth Vader-like head, holds a special fondness in my heart.  It reminds me of Saturday mornings as a kid, watching my favorite classic Super Friends cartoon shows.  This series focuses mainly on the villain Heatwave going on a killing spree with the assistance of his corrupt pal, Plastic Man.  Unfortunately, there's no true "Legion." 
• Flashpoint: The Outsider - I skipped this series all together. 
• Flashpoint: Abin Sur - The Green Lantern - what if Abin Sur had lived and there was no Green Lantern Hal Jordan?   Another average series.
• Flashpoint: Project: Superman - This series imagines Kal-El as a government-kept secret.  He's scrawny and shy.  I'm guessing it's the premise for the new Superboy series, which I'm not sure I'm going to like.  (Goodbye, former sensitive-jock Conner Kent.  I'll miss you.)  
• Flashpoint: Frankenstein & the Creatures of the Unknown - Dracula and vampires have been done to death (literally), so how about some focus on Frankenstein?  Frankenstein as a superhero and a leader of a superhero group?  Yeah...it's as bad as it sounds.  
• Flashpoint: Secret Seven - I bought and read this series for two reasons: the resurrection of Amethyst and George Perez as the artist.  While the art was fantastic (naturally), the story just wasn't there.  It was primarily about Shade the Changing Man (double yawn). 
• Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost - I think this series really helped support the main Flashpoint series as much as Emperor Aquaman and Wonder Woman and the Furies did.  I suspect its events also directly relate to the New 52.  
• Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint - Why was this series called The World of Flashpoint?  Oh, I guess because nobody would buy it if it just said Traci 13?  Anyway, it's about the mystical Traci 13 and her family.  Good, but nothing extraordinary.  
• Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance - resist buying this series unless you're a big fan for the Wildstorm Universe's Grifter being integrated into the DCU.
• Flashpoint: Hal Jordan - Hal Jordan as an every day hero instead of a superhero.  See:  Marvel Comics' Steve Rogers, Super Soldier (when he's not being Captain America).
• Flashpoint: Grodd of War - The world is divided up among villains.  Grodd happens to own all of Africa.  A good one-shot tie-in since we don't really see/learn much about him and his kingdom elsewhere.  
• Flashpoint: Reverse-Flash - if you didn't read enough of him in the main Flashpoint mini-series, here he is again, still time-traveling and fucking things up.  
• Flashpoint: Green Arrow Industries - The super-liberal, justice-seeking Oliver Queen as an arms dealer.  Meh. I guess that's why there was only one issue.
  
• Flashpoint: The Canterbury Cricket - I draw the line at giant, talking insects.  Seriously.  What is this?  Kafka?

I guess there were no Teen Titans in the world of Flashpoint?  Maybe the adults ate their young. 

So now that Flashpoint is now over, let's get into the meat of things and see what this whole New 52 is really all about.  I hope it was worth it...

The Bobby Ewing Syndrome

Since the announcement of DC canceling all of their titles and basically starting all over with 52 new titles, I've continued to pick up my comics at my local comic book shop, but as I read them, I find I have little to no enthusiasm in the characters or storylines anymore.  Why?  Because I know the series are going to end, the characters will no longer be themselves, they'll no longer have their history/connections, and the entire DC Universe is going to start anew in September with characters I don't even know or recognize anymore.  So, really, what's the point?  Come September, it'll be like waking up in Dallas, finding Bobby Ewing alive and well in your shower, and realizing that everything that happened previously was all just a dream.  

I don't even have the same excitement for Flashpoint and its many, many related mini-series, an event I was really looking forward to.   Again, I figure, what's the (flash)point? 

The best thing to really come out of this announcement is that I can sell entire set/series of comics on eBay since they won't really matter anymore in the continuum and, having ended, they're actual complete sets, not just partial sets of an ongoing series.  Thanks, DC, for helping me clear out my clutter and giving me some extra spending money.

What's the Story, Morning Glories?

I typically don't stray much outside the DC and Marvel Universes (not even to Marvel's Ultimate Universe), but the premise of Image Comics' Morning Glories sounded intriguing, so I've been picking up the last 10 issues that have been released.  From Wikipedia: "The series focuses on six "brilliant but troubled" new recruits at Morning Glory Academy, a prestigious prep school hiding "sinister and deadly" secrets."

The series is written by Nick Spencer and illustrated by Joe Eisma. Fortunately, each issue is only $2.99, so I'll continue reading.  If Image was charging $3.99, I probably would have dropped the series by now.  While good, it's not fantastic.  The stories are promising, although sometimes confusing.  The characters are interesting, yet not defined enough for me to care about any of them or even keep them straight, especially when each issue focuses on someone different than the last.  I do enjoy the simple yet realistic artwork in brilliant colors, though, and that's another reason I keep reading the series.  It's extremely visually appealing. 

So, while I'm curious about the students and the school, the "big mystery" hasn't really hooked me yet.  I'm waiting for one of those guilty pleasure moments that really draws me into the series.  The series get a B- grade from me.  It has the potential to succeed and is better than average, but I think it could -- and should -- strive to be better.

Canada Takes (Alpha) Flight

Although I find it suspect that Marvel is copying DC (see: Blackest Night) by bringing back dead superheroes from the successful 1980s era, I am SO glad to see most of the original Alpha Flight team back together (where for art thou, Puck?)!  With so many unsuccessful (and, yes, just awful) incarnations over the years (see: Omega Flight), returning to the original team (when it was written and drawn by John Byrne) was the only option. 

Currently, the team is only in "maxi-series" status.  Perhaps Marvel wants to see how that goes before committing to a regular series for the team again.  (Although that didn't stop them when it came to Young Allies (canceled after six issues) or She-Hulks (canceled after four issues) recently.)  One issue into the maxi-series, I think the writing team of Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente with artist Dale Eaglesham are doing a bang-up job.  The writers really know and understand the characters and their individual personalities.  And Eaglesham does a great job of beautifully rendering each character, much like Byrne once did.   Only Marrina seems very different from her passive 1980s persona, but I guess everyone evolves.  Even sea-people.  And double kudos to bringing Northstar's boyfriend/partner into the series.  We also see hints of Aurora's multiple personalities coming back -- it's like Melrose Place all over again!  I can't wait for the team to really take "flight!"