DC Universe #0 — Writers: Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns; Artists: George Perez, Doug Mahnke, Tony Daniel, Ivan Reis, Aaron Lopresti, Philip Tan, Ed Benes, Carlos Pacheco, JG Jones
Well this is encouraging: a perfect little promo book, only 50 cents, setting up small tastes of Final Crisis and all its spinoffs (Legion of Three Worlds by Johns and Perez; Batman: RIP by Morrison and Daniel; Wonder Woman: Whom the Gods Forsake by Simone and Lopresti; Green Lantern: The Dead Shall Rise by Johns and Reis; Revelations, by Rucka and Tan; and, of course, Final Crisis by Morrison and Jones) and doing it with enough style that all but maybe one of them look worth buying. This book itself has gotten major press, as featuring the “return” of a major, long-dead character, although said character never actually appears in the issue (he narrates, though he’s unnamed, but the references to the original Crisis, and the lightning bolt motif, give away his identity). After a year of disappointment and mediocrity by DC, this offers hope for a much better year to come.
New Avengers #40 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Penciler: Jim Cheung; Inker: John Dell
As with Mighty Avengers last week, this isn’t really an Avengers story; it’s a flashback to the Skrulls and their plans, showing what they’ve done and are about to do, with the requisite “oh, crap!” last-page revelation. This doesn’t make it a bad book, you understand — in fact, think of it as Secret Invasion 0, or 1.5, or something, and enjoy what’s actually, despite all odds, shaping up to be a compelling, well-constructed and significant summer event.
Green Lantern #30 — WriterGeoff Johns; Penciller: Ivan Reis; Inker: Oclair Albert
Part two of Hal’s origin. I’m still not convinced that this story needed to be told again, but Reis’s art helps considerably, and the last-page character appearance offers a nice Easter egg for old-time fans who’ve had to sit through the remake.
Thor: Ages of Thunder #1 — Writer: Matt Fraction; Pencilers: Patrick Zircher and Khari Evans
Fraction delivers a fascinating story of a pre-Don Blake Thor, surly and grim and arrogant, and it works surprisingly well — it was originally in my don’t-buy pile, but the more I read it the more I was drawn into the story (it helps that it’s a one-shot, although apparently there’s a sequel on the way this summer). The golden-apples bit gets pushed a little too hard, and frost giants aren’t the most compelling bad guys, but it all coalesces, and its new angle on these old characters resonates, and lingers in the memory.
Legion of Super-Heroes #41 — Writer: Jjim Shooter; Penciller: Aaron Lopresti; Inker: Matt Ryan
Shooter hasn’t made a wrong move yet: he’s telling a sprawling story, with a cast of dozens, but every issue stands alone, one beat in the larger composition, and every character gets some decent screen time, and it all gets better with every issue. If you were ever a Legion fan, you need to be reading this comic; if you’ve never read them, this version is a good place to start.
Usagi Yojimbo #111 — Writer/Artist: Stan Sakai
Another good place to start: the first of what looks to be a two-parter, introducing a new character. Usagi and
Gen make a good, bickering road team, and Sakai offers the usual crystal-clear storytelling, sprinkled with his extensive research of the customs of feudal Japan. I’ll say what I do every time a new issue of this title comes out: try this book.
Blue Beetle #26 — Writer: Jai Nitz; Penciller: Mike Norton; Inker: Trevor Scott
A good one-shot change-of-pace episode after the huge blowout epic conclusion last issue, told mostly in Spanish, as Jamie takes Traci to meet his relatives and then has to go fight the Parasite. Norton’s light, human touch is perfect for all the character bits, and the back-of-the-book translations are a perfect, non-intrusive way of bringing non-bilingual readers up to speed. I’m expecting the loss of writer John Rogers to be a huge blow to this book, but this issue indicates that maybe his careful foundation is strong enough to be built on by other creators, too.
Phil Mateer
