Comic Reviews 02.15.2020

Hey y’all. We’re back with more comics! Playing a little but of catchup this week, but everything will be all new next week! There’s a big focus on Brian Michael Bendis yet again this time. The two books he’s writing that I don’t particularly care for are here. And it may be time to stop reading them. They were both exciting at the outset but now I’m just buying them out of habit. These may well be the final issues of them I review so enjoy! Also, X-Men is in the rotation now so get hyped! This issue seems to be the final setup before dominoes start falling. Before diving in, check out Apocalypse’s cute science goggles:

Spoilers for: The Flash #87, Action Comics #1019, Young Justice #13, X-Men #6

The Flash #87

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artist: Christian Duce

Color: Luis Guerrero

Letters: Steve Wands

Cover: Rafa Sandoval,  Jordi Tarragona, and Hi-Fi

Despite some problems, this is series is firing on all cylinders right now. With the exception of the end of Death of the Speed Force, which still doesn't have closure, the last year or so has been the best stretch of the Rebirth era since The first 12 or so issues. A huge part of that is the (mostly) consistent art teams that make up this story arc being very good storytellers. Which is great as we head into The Flash #750 in the coming weeks. And this issue is all about preparing us for that story.

After taking done Captain Cold last issue, the Rogues have all been arrested. As has Barry because he turned himself in at the end of prior issue for losing control of his emotions. Off to Arkham Asylum we go! On the way there, Flash and Cold bicker about a number of things, most notably Cold telling Flash to stay away from his sister. Can we pause for a minute though? Like, I understand they’re both in power dampening restraints, but why are they in the same car? They are mortal enemies and there’s no way responsible police officers would keep them together. And based on last issue, I don’t believe these are Gotham officers. They’re from Central City. It’s just weird.

Sick Burn.

Shout out to the art in this issue, but especially the opening scene. The “camera angles” are so clear but change enough to keep the story engaging. It’s not just virtually the same image copied for a few panels at a time. It’s also not simple shot-reverse shot. Sometimes it’s that but then it’ll be a wide shot or some other way of keeping the energy up. This continues throughout the entire issue and it’s great. Similarly, Guerrero’s colors do a wonderful job of differentiating similarly colored costumes. Flash's costume is a different red from that of Kid Flash's costume and even Future Flash’s costume. It’s good, y’all.

And it’s a good thing the art is so good because the Speed Force's problems are completely hand waved away in such a fashion that it makes me wonder what the point was. I had assumed it was somehow related to Zoom and the Forever Force, but I guess. Everyone’s frequency was just off. At least Pied Piper got a few pages. He’s a character that has been woefully since… Geoff Johns' initial Flash run? He gets some run now and again but it’s rare.

But that’s all cleanup from Rogues' Reign. The final pages feature the return of Future Flash from Year One. Turns out that Barry changing his future in that story caused a paradox and it has been anthropomorphized as Paradox. Great name. I love it. Very creative. And Paradox is coming for Barry unless he can get help from Commander Cold, who’s dead. Which brings up a big problem of mine from the last 15 or so issues of this series. Interesting and potentially interesting characters have been killed off constantly. Same goes for Future Flash, Steadfast, and Psych. Ok, Steadfast might be alive. It’s pretty unclear what happened to him and Fuerza, but the point stands.

Verdict: Borrow

Action Comics #1019

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: John Romita Jr.

Inker: Klaus Janson

Colors: Brad Anderson

Letters: Dave Sharpe

Cover: Romita Jr., Janson, and Anderson

I ask this almost every issue but what is this comic even about? Is it Superman? Or Leviathan? Or Red Cloud? Any given issue can focus on those or a number of other plot threads that have been set. This issue tries to tie all those threads together but does so in an unconvincing and unsatisfying manner.

The majority of the issue focuses on the Leviathan meeting with the Legion of Doom. They also get Red Cloud involved. The team up is a cool idea but no work is done to explain why it’s happening. Everyone wants to take down Superman. But do they really? That was never Leviathan’s goal. He wants to rid the world of secrets and lies. The Legion is about carrying out Petpetua's goal of taking over and recreating the universe. Red Cloud is a mafia don. None of these go together at all, but it’s a cool visual seeing them together.

What did they do to my poor Grodd

At least it would be with a different artist. I hate to keep ragging on John Romita Jr. but his line work is sloppy and sometimes unclear. That second part is a new addition to the formula as Romita's storytelling had been very clear in previous issues. Even when we go the futuristic Leviathan Island, there’s nothing interesting or inventive. It’s a generic flying cars, rounded building kind of future.

But how has Leviathan Island been allowed to stand, you be asking? After all, the climax of Event Leviathan took place there so surely they would have cleaned it out before Superman and his friends returned, right? Maybe. This might be a new island. The island might move. Maybe the Justice League did come but some advanced technology kept it hidden. I honestly could not tell you. And I don’t think Brian Michael Bendis’ could either.

Verdict: Pass

Young Justice #13

Writers: Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker

Art: John Timms, Michael Avon Oeming, and Mike Grell

Colors: Gabe Eltaeb

Letters: Wes Abbott

Cover: Timms and Eltaeb

What are we doing here? What is Young Justice about? Who are these characters? Who could say? Not me, despite having read 13 issues of this series. The first few issues were excellent and seemed to be heading in a very solid direction. I’m now convinced Patrick Gleason had a much bigger hand in that than I had previously believed. Virtually nothing has happened in the last few issues of this comic. And that continues here.

Young Justice (Minus Superboy) is standing around Jinny Hex’s truck, doing nothing. Then the H Dial starts freaking out. This triggers whatever is in the back of the truck. The squad traces the source of their problem to New Mexico (Or Nevada, there’s a mistake here). So, Impulse goes to recruit backup while everyone else goes to the source, a S.T.A.R. Labs facility. The same one that sent Superboy to Gem World before this series began, actually. Impulse grabs Spoiler, Aqualad, Arrowette, and Sideways. Why those heroes? I don’t know. Why did they agree to come? I don’t know. I don’t know anything. But there’s more characters now. Just what this comic needed.

The rest of the issue focuses on Superboy in Skartaris. Warlord is here and they battle some lizard men. They also have a chat about how Connor can’t lose hope. Check the image above and you’ll see Warlord explaining his origin to Connor. He landed here and he was lost, but he adjusted and found purpose in this world. My question is thus: Why does Connor need to be reminded of any of this? This is literally where he was at the beginning of this series! In a world that was not his own? Check. Fell in love? Check. Found a purpose? Check. Warlord has the same story and it doesn’t seem that anyone on the writing teams knows that! If I’m being generous, I would say this comic is presenting us with the reason Connor should, and will, return to his family in Gem World. I doubt that will happen as that would remove him from the board. So what’s the point?

At least its very cool that they brought Mike Grell (Warlord’s creator) to draw Warlord’s origin. His art has that perfect adventure serial feel that is perfect for the character and his world. Which leads me to wonder why he didn’t draw the entire Skartaris section. Michael Avon Oeming is a good artist. Unfortunately, his art does not fit this story and fails to properly portray the despair Superboy is meant to be feeling. You who is really good at the kind of thing? Mike Grell. Also, John Timms, who drew all the Earth-bound story.

Verdict: Pass

X-Men #6

Writer: Jonathon Hickman

Artist: Matteo Buffagni

Colors: Matter Gr

Letters: VC's Clayton Cowles

Designer: Tom Muller

Cover: Leinil Francis Yu and Sunny Gho

We are now 18 issues into Jonathon Hickman’s time on the X-Men franchise and everything is different. Literally nothing has remained the same. Since the launch of X-Men proper, the comic has been treated as a series of one-off issues focusing on different characters and situations. This has led to a lack of a consistent story from issue to issue. There seemed to be no through line. Reading this issue, I realized what every issue had in common: They each reveal a separate threat to mutant kind: Orchis, whatever split Krakoa, Hordeculture, the United Nations, the Children of the Vault, and, in this issue, Mystique.

Honestly, they deserve it.

And this is truly an issue about Mystique. Expanding House of X and Powers of X, this issue depicts Mystique’s secret mission to plant a seed on Sol’s Anvil. And then she asks to have her wife revived. Xavier and Magneto refuse. Then she uses the doorway to do recon and discover they haven’t stopped Nimrod’s creation, only delayed it. And then she asks to have her wife revived. Xavier and Magneto refuse. So, Mystique returns home and remembers what Destiny, her future-seeing wife, told her long before she died. The day will come when she can be revived. If Xavier and Magneto refuse, burn everything to the ground.

And its thrilling. Watching Xavier and Magneto attempt to tread the line and push off the resurrection is exciting. Not because it makes them villains, but because they believe it is in mutants’ best interest. The way Buffagni depicts them as towering over Mystique, as they attempt to impose their will upon her, is magnificent. Seeing Mystique truly crack and yell at them is incredible. Both the writing and art perfectly pace the scene to its natural climax at that point.  The anguish on Mystique’s face is palpable. As is the devilishness on it when she gets home and begins planning Krakoa’s downfall.

Now that everything is lined up, let’s see some fireworks explode.

Verdict: Buy