So, I didn’t have time to read many
comics this week as I wanted this week, but I’ll compensate by giving you a
couple longer ones. This was a up and down week, but overall positive. I really
enjoyed a couple of these and am very excited because the next issues have released.
The others make me curious, but I am not in love with them. The Comic of the Week was pretty easy to
decide though: Young Justice #1. By far the stand out and I’ll have the review
for issue #2 next week.
As always, Spoilers ahead.
 |
| They sure are Bart. They sure are. |
Comics Reviewed: Young
Justice #1, Heroes in Crisis #4 & 5, Age of X-Man Alpha, Uncanny X-Men #12
Young Justice #1
Script: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Patrick Gleason
Colors: Alejandro Sanchez
Letters: DC Lettering
Cover: Gleason and Sanchez
Full
disclosure: I know many people don’t like Brian Michael Bendis, but I love his
work. As I mentioned last week, Miles Morales is THE Spider-Man to me in the
same way that Wally West is THE Flash or Kyle Rayner is THE Green Lantern to
many. And that is mostly because of Bendis' writing (And the amazing art). So,
I am a little more willing to give him some leeway. And this issue needs it.
Not because it is bad, but because not much happens in it.
I
guess we’re getting a reboot of Gemworld in this story arc. I’m down for that.
I read the New 52 version and that was fun. I think this will be too. This
issue sees pretty much the whole team show up in Metropolis for various
reasons. The armies of Gemworld arrive wishing to speak to Superman. They’ve
somehow discovered the fact that the universe has been rewritten several times
because of events on Earth. I think the idea of labeling the Seven Crises and
having characters learn of them is really interesting. I am excited to see
where that goes.
The
characters are a ton of fun. Jinny Hex is a pretty funny new character. Time
Drake is back in his Robin costume for some reason. It looks good but doesn’t
match with his last status quo that I’m aware of. He’s well written though and the
glue of this issue. Cassandra seems like herself, although there is some sort
of trauma she is keeping to herself that makes her hesitant to join the fight.
Teen Lantern doesn’t have much personality here but makes some cool constructs.
And
then there’s Bart Allen. Most people will know him as Impulse or maybe even Kid
Flash. But to me, Bart is The Flash. He was star of one my favorite comics I’ve
ever read: The Flash: Fastest Man Alive, a 13 issues series following Bart’s
tenure as Flash. He de-aged and then completely gone following Flashpoint. But
he made his triumphant reappearance at the end of The Flash #50 last year. And
he truly returns here. Bart is a revelation here. He brings joy to every panel
he’s in, whether rescuing civilians or declaring Young Justice back. And he
looks good.
In
fact, everything looks good. I’ve loved Patrick Gleason since his Green Lantern
Corps days, but I feel he’s really kicked it up since DC Rebirth began. His
Superman run was phenomenal, and this might be even better. There’s a note from
him in the back of the issue that really made me look at the issue differently
and understand how much effort and care was put into it. Gleason makes note of
the fact that he wanted to make Bart’s running style different than other speedsters,
so he never actually shows him running. Bart is always stationary (rarely) or
jumping, sliding, or any other motion besides running. That is some amazing
detail. Besides Gleason, the colors are fantastic. I don’t think I’ve seen
Sanchez’s work before, but it is so vibrant and creates such a tone that works
in concert with Gleason’s art. It’s fantastic.
TL;DR:
This a very good comic. Buy it.
Verdict: Buy
Heroes in Crisis #4&5
Artist: Clay Mann
Colorist: Tomeu Morey
Letters: Clayton Cowles
Cover: Trevor Hairsine and Rain
Beredo
I
have mixed feelings about Heroes in Crisis. Each induvial issue is decompressed
to the point that little has happened through the first five issues. Having
said that, I am quite enjoying this event as a whole. I commend King for
working mental health issues, and PTSD particularly, into so much of his work.
On that front, though, I think this series is mostly untapped potential. The confessional
pages, while interesting, don’t add much to most the characters. They are also
rarely long enough to provide in depth exploration of a said character’s
trauma. There are, of course, exceptions like the Commander Steel page in issue
#5. This is an excellent piece about a character that has died multiple times
and his mindset towards life.
 |
| Fair point |
The
fact that the public has been made aware of Sanctuary is interesting and seems
to have kickstarted the story. The speech that Superman gives honestly gave me
chills. The fact that Superman has struggled so much with the issue of letting
the public in on the massacre, and thus showing the heroes’ vulnerabilities is
the most interesting conflict here though. Because he is called upon to be the
face of the heroes in this situation as he always is.
Other
than Supes, I appreciate that this series is mostly focused on B and C-List heroes.
Sure, Harley Quinn is here (And dull as hell) and so is Batgirl (slightly
better), but Booster Gold and Blue Beetle are a major focus of these issues. Ted
Kord is not a character I particularly care for, but his relationship with
Booster here makes me care. The way he is willing to do anything for his best
friend is incredibly endearing and relatable. And Wally West isn’t dead! So
that’s nice.
 |
| Legit teary-eyed |
The art here is spectacular. The fact that Clay Mann isn’t a bigger name in comics is truly confounding. I fell in love with him during the Age of X event in 2011. In the intervening years, He’s just gotten better. Everything about the art is spectacular here and deserves a ton of praise even from those that dislike the story. Just fantastic all around.
Verdict: Buy
Age of X-Man Alpha
Writer: Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler
Artist: Roman Rosanas
Colorist: Triona Farrell
Letterer: VC's Clayton Cowles
Cover:
Phil Noto
So, this is what the 10 issue, weekly
relaunch of Uncanny X-Men has been
leading to? Age of Apocalypse Part Deux? After reading this issue, I am not
sure if I want to read the rest of this event; not because its bad, but because
its just fine. This new world is nothing special. It’s a weird mix of utopia
and 1984 but is not incredibly interesting.
I’m a sucker for alternate timelines, especially X-Men ones. Age of X was the
first X-Men comics I ever bought, and it is still my favorite alternate X-Men
story. Everyone should go read it.
But enough about other X-Men events. Overall,
this is a good comic book. It has decently written characters, although it
doesn’t have much time for character outside of Bishop not feeling at ease with
this world. Which, credit where its due, is a good character to put in that
role. My man has seen a lot of timelines in his day and none of them ever work
out. Everyone else is either a nonfactor personality-wise or just a quick setup
for the various miniseries. There really is not a plot here though. It is just
a series of vignettes that tease upcoming events.
 |
| Get it? Its the inverse of AoA |
The art, however, is really good. I don’t know if Rosanas did the costume designs for this universe, but they are fantastic. Every panel has a lot of personality to it and the world has a distinct feel, especially compared to previous X-Men timelines. I really appreciate that the art team seems to have put a lot of time and effort into this new world. It is visually interesting, and I look forward to a few more months of it.
Verdict: Borrow
Uncanny X-Men #12
Writer: Matthew Rosenberg
Artist: Salvador Larroca
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters: VC's Joe Carmagna
Cover: Larroca and Rachelle
Rosenberg
This
is a much better issue than the last. It’s not a bloated 63-page, $7 slog.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not amazing, it just kinda… is. I appreciate that the
characters (Especially Cyclops) are in character. Everyone feels like
themselves. Except Guido, who seems to be the only one truly affected by the
Transmode Virus. His speech patterns are weird because of it. Wolfsbane’s
personality seems fine, but her accent is written like she’s Gambit. It’s
weird.
The
story is the part I don’t particularly enjoy here. Cyke and Wolverine break
into a O.N.E. facility, rescue some New Mutants and Havok. A Madrox clone
explodes; Guido absorbs it and dies. Magyk teleports everyone out after Havok
destroys the facility. The end. It’s interesting that they’re making sentinels
out of Mutants, but that’s not really addressed, and it doesn’t seem to work.
The New Mutant sentinels didn’t fight back against Cyclops and Wolverine so
what’s the point? Then there’s O.N.E. organization. Who are these people? I
remember them having something to do with Wolverine’s resurrection, but I’m not
sure because they’re so generic that it’s impossible to Google them. It’s dumb.
At
least the art is nice. I know not everyone enjoys Larroca, and sometimes that
includes me, but I am really enjoying the his on this story arc. The whole team
does a good job. There’s some interesting framing too. My only complaint is the
backgrounds during the Havok rescue scene. I don’t think that’s drawn by
Larroca. I think Rachelle Rosenberg added it and it looks good but doesn’t
quite match with the scene.
Verdict: Borrow
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