tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78903436087524958412024-03-12T21:00:25.622-07:00Comic Obsessed.A.K.A. That Peruvian guy who likes comicsComic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-85869641326765602192024-03-12T15:34:00.000-07:002024-03-12T15:34:01.150-07:00Some thoughts about Sinister Sons #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0mvWOPZ0gD3TAlhXbCACH_KduIjZu2mDGPYoMdWVbXoo9Vdq4zxJWuPZuvlXNFR2igEe3kG9AfROlAueIQvXunBhA-utKGIVMZSCMA9dyLPMjz4qTfwnk4_eVfYBK31k6raCu2OhxXQWij_dvZDddfjNPvQ_5qHC_mJbK09WCyQey3rcww-l43e7ePOq/s3057/SS2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3057" data-original-width="1988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0mvWOPZ0gD3TAlhXbCACH_KduIjZu2mDGPYoMdWVbXoo9Vdq4zxJWuPZuvlXNFR2igEe3kG9AfROlAueIQvXunBhA-utKGIVMZSCMA9dyLPMjz4qTfwnk4_eVfYBK31k6raCu2OhxXQWij_dvZDddfjNPvQ_5qHC_mJbK09WCyQey3rcww-l43e7ePOq/s320/SS2.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Can the Sinister Sons get along to save their own lives?<div><br /></div><div>Sinson and Lor-Zod are fighting for control of the ship but what they don't know is that their little brawl will lead to a gigantic creature that could devour them.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>This series continues and is still entertaining although a bit short in plot.</div><div><br /></div><div>Peter Tomasi offers a new installment and this is mostly devoted to the dynamic between the protagonists. While the previous issue focused on presenting the audience to these new characters, this chapter is all about how they interact with each other and once again, it showcases how well Tomasi writes kids. Sinson and Lor-Zod are very different from each other, the former being more calculating while the latter being more impulsive and arrogant, that being said, they still act like actual children and their conversations are a joy to watch.</div><div><br /></div><div>That being said, this issue was sadly a bit light on content since it was basically a big fight sequence that was guided by the personalities of the characters and while there are a few interesting ideas here and there, it feels like there should have been more progression.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vasco Georgiev and David Lafuente share the pencils and their work is pretty consistent with a semi-cartoony style that is very fluid during the action scenes and depicts the expressions clearly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Good read, hoping for more story progression next time.</div>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-75727749871698767122024-02-27T08:07:00.000-08:002024-02-27T08:07:26.934-08:00Some thoughts about Green Arrow #9<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCWGwFT95LAWnKyoIXI8gwsPQRMV4lPCf8FFwPbNa0R4Nx_tWXIt6ZLNtZpV2B7iZulHVrNQS6ye9JXmXCDxlBp9pqXWq4tMsWz0rTbkYqfVbNKl1ja-Z6ZaLtvSvcDRmFx7XT4SOqoCRAZy5WjAeUvnnlqqIlAGptqO8Yze_Y4oyy8b6C4ew68asGZPs/s3057/GA9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3057" data-original-width="1988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCWGwFT95LAWnKyoIXI8gwsPQRMV4lPCf8FFwPbNa0R4Nx_tWXIt6ZLNtZpV2B7iZulHVrNQS6ye9JXmXCDxlBp9pqXWq4tMsWz0rTbkYqfVbNKl1ja-Z6ZaLtvSvcDRmFx7XT4SOqoCRAZy5WjAeUvnnlqqIlAGptqO8Yze_Y4oyy8b6C4ew68asGZPs/s320/GA9.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Can Green Arrow face The Wall?<p></p><p>Oliver has learned that Roy is working for the Suicide Squad now and he's ready to make Amanda Waller respond for it but she has other plans for him.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Well, a lot happened here.</p><p>Joshua Williamson opens a new issue and arc by presenting quite a few interesting plot-points. The idea of Roy working for Waller is finally paying off with Ollie interfering at last and that brings interesting exploration of continuity due that it seems like the writer is referencing a history between Ollie and Amanda which is weird since I don't remember them interacting much in the past unless he's actually connecting the Arrow show into this. However, this creates an interesting premise for both characters to work together for a common goal while at the same time planting the seeds for a seeming future big story. Speaking personally, I like how they are linking both characters due to Waller's hate for Metahumans and Ollie basically representing a common man becoming a hero (and even better is that Williamson referenced the abrupt and stupid out of character moments of Waller during the previous Suicide Squad book).</p><p>There are also quite a few compelling moments like the return of a forgotten character and even more intriguing is the return of the most hated ideas in recent memory and I believe that Williamson might have a few retcons in mind for it.</p><p>Sean Izaakse handles the art and is very expressive while following the story very clearly.</p><p>Good read, hope the following issues continue this development.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-84633209401206693822024-02-20T14:58:00.000-08:002024-02-20T14:58:26.918-08:00Some thoughts about Superman #11<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-2m1d6VTC87Mv-ji3T8pCjikJh8mOOG-MXQwp9zwRijbHSpU__YX5ILm-JZEOzKPL9YcbGQBusR-GATW_1FhJSLE9gmDoDvCTM91f9yHSJVbzFyed9bUCo8510QV3TI1ZgmPHX0O4_tTWKFnTbfrtWxKFpoOMDF3_pZgvgPOWsE46DTZwCBksbP8mMIp/s1920/SM11.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1249" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-2m1d6VTC87Mv-ji3T8pCjikJh8mOOG-MXQwp9zwRijbHSpU__YX5ILm-JZEOzKPL9YcbGQBusR-GATW_1FhJSLE9gmDoDvCTM91f9yHSJVbzFyed9bUCo8510QV3TI1ZgmPHX0O4_tTWKFnTbfrtWxKFpoOMDF3_pZgvgPOWsE46DTZwCBksbP8mMIp/s320/SM11.jpeg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Lex Luthor's plans have come to fruition in the worst way possible.<p></p><p>Lex's enemies are making their final strike against him and they are planning to use his whole family for it but the worst is that Lex deserves all of this and Metropolis will pay for it.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>I have a few issues here but overall, this is another entertaining chapter.</p><p>Joshua Williamson brings his classic love of continuity to drop a lot of info here. From what actually happened to Lex's daughter and mother is nicely explained because of little details that happened over the years in the history of the character and the motivations for their respective actions are pretty logical, even plot-points like Luthor's previous encounters with Kryptonite are used for the story in devastating manners that makes the cliffhanger pretty interesting.</p><p>However, all this info dump makes some of the pacing a bit erratic due that it happens in the middle of a big fight that doesn't have the best transitions between scenes to begin with. Fortunately, is not that big of a problem and the ideas here make the chapter feel like a very content-packed read.</p><p>David Baldeon handles the art and is decent with expressive enough characters but I feel like the storytelling is not that great which is not helped by the already fast-paced story.</p><p>Decent overall, let's see how things continue.</p><p><br /></p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-23954150528305086502024-02-20T14:37:00.000-08:002024-02-20T14:37:44.821-08:00Some thoughts about World's Finest #24<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6p9s0cNvN4ywlNYWrchBoPsE10lMWftua3txCa5mDzZDo5fnL5Q43wHQRayiQZ6buKiwVRvmCmKmEwBuyTQRAosuR_cfsRSBp8t9TS7_S5W0GvX9n6_-IS2JANwgeyulqoIK_Y8gnkQlQl_yzN9Y6RTNAA-p3wnNPQA0xYGnjZonGVPFALTCCJaCfJmR/s1920/WF24.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1249" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6p9s0cNvN4ywlNYWrchBoPsE10lMWftua3txCa5mDzZDo5fnL5Q43wHQRayiQZ6buKiwVRvmCmKmEwBuyTQRAosuR_cfsRSBp8t9TS7_S5W0GvX9n6_-IS2JANwgeyulqoIK_Y8gnkQlQl_yzN9Y6RTNAA-p3wnNPQA0xYGnjZonGVPFALTCCJaCfJmR/s320/WF24.jpeg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Can the heroes win this fight the right way?<p></p><p>Darkseid has arrived to Earth to destroy everything on his path but David believes he can make a deal with him, a deal that can save the world but is against everything Superman stands for.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>End of this arc and I would say is a very satisfying one.</p><p>Mark Waid makes a closure for the plot-point he has been developing for a while concerning David and his future. First of all, the use of Darkseid here is very appropriate since the writer manages to make him extremely imposing, so much that no other character here can face him properly and the way he's included into the plot is nicely connected to the ongoing story and goes along with the themes that Magog has represented all along.</p><p>Even more interesting though, is the dilemma this presents for Superman. I always thought that the Prime Earth Superman was a bit too harsh to the Kingdom Come Superman but Waid gives a justifiable explanation for that while the classic ideas of the original Kingdom Come series are maintained but still creating a sense of hope for the whole universe, even David himself.</p><p>Dan Mora remains in art duties and his work is still amazing with a very vibrant style that elevates the script to new levels.</p><p>Great read, this book can do no wrong.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-75900847553039422812024-02-13T14:17:00.000-08:002024-02-13T14:17:18.731-08:00Some thoughts about Sinister Sons #1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvp-d8gLGx8cMcX72GZQrgIXA7C9QPo8HJdf_Efs0y2Bbwugxixhma3R_p3m9_XFYXbKL-ouhUKWF2_e04y2EMUrIS5_oCPGh3tPyPeQft1AYiT2IDSj_NFRiUcC9b4_JuVZPZ7wBkjnNHAN7NxPkhxkhqUlVEq9Y4rKv5eIcx6MF2cii4W0UrRoDyPlH/s3057/SS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3057" data-original-width="1988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvp-d8gLGx8cMcX72GZQrgIXA7C9QPo8HJdf_Efs0y2Bbwugxixhma3R_p3m9_XFYXbKL-ouhUKWF2_e04y2EMUrIS5_oCPGh3tPyPeQft1AYiT2IDSj_NFRiUcC9b4_JuVZPZ7wBkjnNHAN7NxPkhxkhqUlVEq9Y4rKv5eIcx6MF2cii4W0UrRoDyPlH/s320/SS1.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />What will happen when the most dangerous children in the universe meet each other?<p></p><p>Sinson wants to be like his father Sinestro so much that he's willing to create his own Corps meanwhile Lor-Zod is doing his best to get away from his parents Zod and Ursa. These blatantly different personalities are about to clash in the worst way possible.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Yeah, this is something I've been missing for a while.</p><p>I was a big fan of Peter Tomasi's work on Super Sons (and even earlier during his own Batman and Superman works) since he was able to capture and define the personalities of both Damian Wayne and especially Jon Kent, the latter particularly suffered once that Tomasi stopped writing and Brian Bendis forced him to artificially grow up. Tomasi has a way to write kids, even in such unrealistic scenearios like superhero stories, in a very natural way and I'm happy to say that he didn't lose his touch here.</p><p>First of all, this work is heavily based on the set-up that Tomasi created in the current Green Lantern series during his backup stories in which he revealed the existence of another child of Sinestro. I initially didn't think this was necessary considering that Soranik Natu existed and she hasn't been used that much for a while. However, is pretty clear what Tomasi is planning to do with the new character here, while Soranik usually doesn't want to have anything to do with her father, Sinson wants to be exactly like him to the point he imitates his mannerism and even draws a sort of mustache on his face to look like Sinestro. This is just the kind of kid attitude that I can't help but find very entertaining.</p><p>Lor-Zod is basically the complete opposite and this might have a lot to do with their different parents. While Sinestro is usually considered a villain, he still have a certain code that makes some people admire him. Zod and Ursa though, are less morally grey and tend to force their power upon others and that's reflected perfectly on their son, Lor-Zod is spoiled, stubborn and believes that he knows better than everyone else despite that he still behaves like an actual child.</p><p>And that's the thing, once again Peter Tomasi portrays children in a very believable way no matter the scenario. These two are very different from both Jon and Damian while still acting very much like kids and I'm definitely entertained to see what's going to happen next.</p><p>David Lafuente handles the art and his work has a semi-cartoony style that fits perfectly the humorous and young tone this book goes for while following the script clearly.</p><p>Promising beginning, hope things continue this way.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-79300112252067667622024-01-23T14:20:00.000-08:002024-01-23T14:20:00.522-08:00Some thoughts about Beast World: Tour Star City #1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZum-eXyoJXyRZm2jeK81A4_OerBAIF1VCAmo3m9MVfQiNNHCDdODx_omOJPEYiyUYgQzeH1dUMHNM9Ri6zEYCyTW5AHryS82yLdiEd70sge0KwDN9-FjxWxrIZh003GyIOwNdAuL25WWongXuPWdj1rQ7_ljH58zR5-bnOX6xUn7YqCh62jMx9jYsa8U_/s3057/BWSC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3057" data-original-width="1988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZum-eXyoJXyRZm2jeK81A4_OerBAIF1VCAmo3m9MVfQiNNHCDdODx_omOJPEYiyUYgQzeH1dUMHNM9Ri6zEYCyTW5AHryS82yLdiEd70sge0KwDN9-FjxWxrIZh003GyIOwNdAuL25WWongXuPWdj1rQ7_ljH58zR5-bnOX6xUn7YqCh62jMx9jYsa8U_/s320/BWSC.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />How can people without superpowers handle this threat?<p></p><p>The citizens and heroes in Star City have turned into powerful animals and is up to Green Arrow and his family to stop them. However, each one of them will have to face their own personal problems first.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Yeah, I didn't want to deal with the Beast World event since I didn't care for anything that Tom Taylor has been doing in Titans (or recently overall) but this being a Green Arrow focused issue picked my interest and it was okay for the most part I guess.</p><p>Joshua Williamson opens this story appropriately and mostly focusing on the dynamic between Ollie and Connor which is a nice transition between what happened in this week's Green Arrow issue. I do like how Williamson addresses that it was all Ollie's fault that he abandoned Connor and doesn't try to put any spin about it which is as accurate as you can get and can create a decent development from it. The plot itself is pretty by the numbers even if you haven't been following the event. Jamal Campbell handles the art and is both vibrant and creative.</p><p>Ryan Parrot follows with a story about Black Canary and Red Canary and is cool to see this since we haven't seen much between the two. Dinah acts as competent and responsible as you would expect and so the story is mostly dedicated to how the new heroine deals with her job an as a whole this is a decent portrayal of a young sidekick. Roger Cruz' semi-cartoony style is very expressive.</p><p>I'm glad that Robert Venditti is back at writing DC characters but this is not really a story about the Green Arrow family despite that Red Arrow is in it. In fact, this is mostly about Stargirl and Huntress which makes me suspect that Venditti wants to write more about the Justice Society of America. Is a fine tale but I wish there was more focus on Emiko. Gavin Guery's clean style gets the job done at telling the story.</p><p>Brand&Stein follow what Williamson started this time from Connor's perspective and here we have a problem since we automatically have a more emotional Connor and the point of the character is that he's everything that Ollie isn't so having him as emotional as his father instead of the calm and collected monk he's meant to be just feels off. The story is just as uninteresting. Frank Cvetkovic's fluid and expressive artwork would be fine if it wasn't focusing on Connor which makes the portrayal here even worse.</p><p>Not a bad tie-in but most of the stories are not required.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-86524406483647203132024-01-23T13:26:00.000-08:002024-01-23T13:26:18.683-08:00Some thoughts about Green Arrow #8<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZO8r-EjDekwzLVGQnx9jxCSmnAteMXldp3-tmni0sHyRGmqfPJY-vAhRFAAYFgLCPCIv_5TMpjxUH4K1IQ2CG3Xd3ZTkfLxRj6P7FRcTD_eNo6Nq2vwW_NeaCU1NC0y8d7PYsBCxUoRsdpElOKxUtyW4ARoZqEFgRVySTN_x_ymzs-6YVYe0fRnc2j-M/s3057/GA8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3057" data-original-width="1988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZO8r-EjDekwzLVGQnx9jxCSmnAteMXldp3-tmni0sHyRGmqfPJY-vAhRFAAYFgLCPCIv_5TMpjxUH4K1IQ2CG3Xd3ZTkfLxRj6P7FRcTD_eNo6Nq2vwW_NeaCU1NC0y8d7PYsBCxUoRsdpElOKxUtyW4ARoZqEFgRVySTN_x_ymzs-6YVYe0fRnc2j-M/s320/GA8.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Who is behind Onomatopoeia's attacks?<p></p><p>The psychotic assassin is coming after Oliver once again and he apparently was successful this time. Now Connor is looking for vengeance and with that he will finally learn the truth.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>A bit simple but contained a few surprises at least.</p><p>Joshua Williamson offers a one-and-done story that also connects to future plot-points. As the cliffhanger from the last issue teased, this involves the return of the villain Onomatopoeia and as I've said several times before, I'm not much of a fan of him since his demented personality made him seem more like a Batman villain (and his creator, Kevin Smith, thought so as well since he later used him for his Batman stories). That being said, the chapter opens with an interesting enough premise that leads into a solid surprise concerning the antagonists which puts everything in perspective. I also enjoy how Williamson references everything that is currently happening with the other members of the family and why they are currently absent, classic attention to continuity.</p><p>On the other hand, I don't necessarily dislike how they handled the villains here but I think they need more overall. Is a shame that Onomatopoeia himself didn't have a proper development despite that I'm not a fan of him but the biggest waste here was Brick since he barely got anything beyond your typical crook wanting revenge and power. So far I'm not really digging how Williamson is handling Green Arrow villains.</p><p>Phil Hester handles the art and is really appropriate since he co-created both Onomatopoeia and Brick and his detailed pencils give me a lot of nostalgia for the early 2000s Green Arrow stories.</p><p>Decent overall but I hope the following stories are better. </p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-26322921891513368102024-01-02T14:55:00.000-08:002024-01-02T14:55:47.318-08:00Some thoughts about Fire & Ice #5<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgkWWnkreLNFAF252QfFcxUxbrtrbIgVusWRpirvxz2XEDL9Ejiw1VHGbOWLXo3BzWWAYHZD16Px8jomWnJa3LwmE_JIyP9TL55UAnikIZDLqOOB5mnGR3b0DguU38Wtuma-YIALJ0tNUD_07k11ZFb0hnSeSdGhXPBmcWJPxNwVHPs_d8QIeYGVDUtkY/s3057/FI5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3057" data-original-width="1988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgkWWnkreLNFAF252QfFcxUxbrtrbIgVusWRpirvxz2XEDL9Ejiw1VHGbOWLXo3BzWWAYHZD16Px8jomWnJa3LwmE_JIyP9TL55UAnikIZDLqOOB5mnGR3b0DguU38Wtuma-YIALJ0tNUD_07k11ZFb0hnSeSdGhXPBmcWJPxNwVHPs_d8QIeYGVDUtkY/s320/FI5.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Who is controlling everyone in Smallville?<p></p><p>The salon has just been burnt and this will make Fire and Ice's fights even worse. However, there's something more threatening going around town.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><span></span><p>Okay, this was better all right.</p><p>Joanne Starer offers a new installment with more explanations. The dynamic between Bea and Tora gets even more tense but funnily enough, the characters are starting to become more likable since Bea realizes her own flaws to the point she's willing to take the blame for things she's not responsible of and even one of the annoying new characters gets less annoying. Fortunately, the relationship between the protagonists is improving in a way.</p><p>About the plot, now there's an explanation about why Rocky became acting so weird out of nowhere and funnily enough, this is connected to previous stories connected to the main characters, it was pretty cool to see the references to Tora's origin and the early Justice League International stories.</p><p>Natacha Bustos' artwork continues to be pretty appealing thanks to the semicartoony style and expressive characters.</p><p>Decent read, let's see how things conclude.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-78990945659771195042024-01-02T13:30:00.000-08:002024-01-02T13:30:13.642-08:00Some thoughts about Shazam #7<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LzUP17OWkF_QYVsNylooDm32cx9ZcP-jr1-RnYUzFwnB-Gsx9reVDBFyKvB81LdR8Oug-R6TCmcKkGOa1UpYOeSYoZdmQUj-2RdDqvZtOdr8brPkMIu2KwW-2XaIG2jjYBFpdiPMc-qAcXlrC-z-BpqaKm6qW8vjEurxZtJg0gt4lATM7D9BcZM4yGDh/s1920/SH7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1249" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LzUP17OWkF_QYVsNylooDm32cx9ZcP-jr1-RnYUzFwnB-Gsx9reVDBFyKvB81LdR8Oug-R6TCmcKkGOa1UpYOeSYoZdmQUj-2RdDqvZtOdr8brPkMIu2KwW-2XaIG2jjYBFpdiPMc-qAcXlrC-z-BpqaKm6qW8vjEurxZtJg0gt4lATM7D9BcZM4yGDh/s320/SH7.jpeg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Can Shazam face Black Adam once again?<p></p><p>Space Dinosaurs have arrived to Khandaq's territory and their leader is not going to allow that. Now Billy will be forced to fight someone as powerful as him while at the same time trying to figure out what this aliens want.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>This seems more like a filler issue weirdly enough.</p><p>Mark Waid offers a new installment where the main focus are the Space Dinosaurs and yes, while the premise itself might seem fun at first, it makes you realize that the story itself is kinda barebones. I have mentioned before that I do enjoy the classic comic wackiness that Waid is injecting into this book and the alien dinos do have entertaining moments while offering a few teases about where the story is going but aside from that this is mostly an issue dedicated to mindless fights with barely any relevance with the ongoing story and mostly seems like a set-up for what's about to come.</p><p>Not to mention that I don't think Black Adam is quite in character here. By now is pretty clear that while Adam can still be violent when needed, he prefers to reason before going straight into battle and that's not really how Waid portrayed him here. In fact, Adam is rather quick to throw a punch even against people who have nothing to do with his conflict, it seems like Waid forced a fight just to fill up pages.</p><p>Goran Sudzuka's artwork is solid, expressive with a clean style and follows the script appropriately.</p><p>I hope the next one offers more content and more on-point characterization.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-68506272861021823682023-12-30T16:41:00.000-08:002023-12-30T16:43:15.653-08:00The Top Ten Best DC Comics of 2023<p style="text-align: justify;">This year was a bit erratic in some ways.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p style="text-align: justify;">As I mentioned in my Top Ten Worst DC Comics of 2023 list, there are quite a few gems this year but not as many as I initially thought. It could be that the books that I liked were so, SO good that made me think that there were more books but in reality I had to fill a few spots here with titles I forgot about.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That doesn't mean such titles were not good, they were actually solid but they were not as good as the ones I put at the top. However, as I mentioned this year was a bit chaotic because a few titles that I choose last time won't make an appearance here because sadly their quality was not consistent and even some of the books I picked here that I thought would be higher ultimately had a few flaws that made me reconsider their position.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Nonetheless, this is definitely a good year of comics, a good year for many authors actually since some of them reminded me how good they could be and some of them became even better and that's really some of the best compliment I can give.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Without further ado, let's congratulate:</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">10. Geoff Johns/Todd Nauck's Stargirl: The Lost Children.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CjGkbRunl3exxTekzd-wW_8tFxWVMwrq-Gh5XBrzULkF7a5ZVM7dV1Z80sNZ4t27ZsgzBc8CAO9vAiDjXVuuPX4ODDNoX0uM7juAtlxmBXC4Qb-fS2LcARmGkWOQ8Ba68vK7BkrkWc0kSUJteq01YGUudOPg2w0oi-w9rjxXmhB-lrYYaQTJH8cbVS8K/s3121/Stargirl%20-%20The%20Lost%20Children%2006%20(of%2006)%20(2023)%20(digital)%20(Son%20of%20Ultron-Empire)-010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="3121" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CjGkbRunl3exxTekzd-wW_8tFxWVMwrq-Gh5XBrzULkF7a5ZVM7dV1Z80sNZ4t27ZsgzBc8CAO9vAiDjXVuuPX4ODDNoX0uM7juAtlxmBXC4Qb-fS2LcARmGkWOQ8Ba68vK7BkrkWc0kSUJteq01YGUudOPg2w0oi-w9rjxXmhB-lrYYaQTJH8cbVS8K/s320/Stargirl%20-%20The%20Lost%20Children%2006%20(of%2006)%20(2023)%20(digital)%20(Son%20of%20Ultron-Empire)-010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I have to admit that I ended-up being kinda disappointed with Geoff Johns' revival of the Justice Society of America since the main title ended-up going nowhere after a while and will apparently stay that way since Johns is leaving DC Comics with many of his promises left unfulfilled.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That being said, I also have to say that the miniseries Stargirl: The Lost Children was enjoyable for the most part.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Just as I mentioned last year, Johns reintroduced and retconned several Golden Age sidekicks into modern times, reinventing a lot of the mythos and creating a lot of potential for future stories involving them and the characters connected to them (potential that won't be reached by Johns himself but I digress).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">More important though, this book gave much more relevance to the character of Stargirl, giving her a reason to exist in the current DCU and making her relatable to the recently presented sidekick by basically defining her as their leader showing how important she can be for the Justice Society of America as a whole.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Todd Nauck once again contributed a lot to this story thank to the kinetic style that was a great fit for a book about sidekicks and brings a lot of memories to his days in Young Justice.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If there's a complaint here and why this is so low in the list is because, while is entertaining overall, the conclusion left a bit to be desired due that it was forced to connect to the current ongoing JSA title that feels directionless by now and thus, made this book with an ending that is not that satisfying.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Despite of the complaints, is fitting that Johns is able to deliver a fun story that involves the character based on his own sister as one of his final DC works. Decent send-off.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Things only get better from now on thankfully.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">9. Joshua Williamson's Green Arrow.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3Q5yojSGx7Nb-ElUHQesNHj7s9pbjoxkEjq8S3Xkg92AIzIpTsFPPXMO-VogwwjEDN9Wo23P4o7S4k0WhwWw8ovBvzRR8EqyQY_fC6ZL919C8FALfVOUjJdBXBHg2aYueiaknich41-Z-3uMdz_9K-Dxuz0NKHiHB_fPsgk3uoCyYJBdO-aVEkNEk5IP/s1033/RCO020_1698190430.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="1033" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3Q5yojSGx7Nb-ElUHQesNHj7s9pbjoxkEjq8S3Xkg92AIzIpTsFPPXMO-VogwwjEDN9Wo23P4o7S4k0WhwWw8ovBvzRR8EqyQY_fC6ZL919C8FALfVOUjJdBXBHg2aYueiaknich41-Z-3uMdz_9K-Dxuz0NKHiHB_fPsgk3uoCyYJBdO-aVEkNEk5IP/s320/RCO020_1698190430.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I was honestly pretty nervous when this was announced.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I liked Joshua Williamson, I have liked most of the books he has worked on. However, I did not like most of the times he wrote Green Arrow in those books because he tended to go for an overly-idealized and bland version of Oliver Queen who was a guy who only made a few mistakes in his life and was already a better (and duller) man because of them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And the beginning of the current book didn't make me more optimistic about what was going to happen funnily enough since it initially seemed like Williamson was quickly going to redeem only in a very simple and stupid manner by retconning all of his mistakes saying that it was all a villain's fault. Basically a "Parallax" fix for Green Arrow except that it would be a terrible fit for Oliver Queen due that gets rid of all the complex human aspects and replaces them with a dumb supervillain reasoning.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Fortunately that didn't actually happen and what we ended-up getting was an actual solid superhero story.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The premise is all about the reunion between Ollie and his family after he disappeared due to the events of Dark Crisis which leads to a journey into the Multiverse in which we see many incarnations of Green Arrow and elements of their history gathering. You can imagine that Williamson is having a ton of fun with such rich continuity and thankfully he also addresses a lot of the trademarked flaws from the protagonist and creates an appropriate development for him.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Is not perfect though and that's the reason why is kinda low in this list. While I love the references to previous stories, I also find all of that a bit pandering, especially when it focuses too much on the return of some of the members of Ollie's family. Not to mention that the villain's motivations for doing all of this are pretty poor and I feel like we could have gotten something new and interesting (Spoilers: The villain is Merlyn and the fact that he didn't get a compelling portrayal feels like a complete waste).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, is not my ideal Green Arrow but is a good enough Green Arrow and after the last few years of either mediocrity or nothingness, this is certainly better than that.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">8. Phillip Kennedy Johnson's Green Lantern: War Journal.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMq6pxz6-cpoTB-PlwnTAW_JBe2JewLlvcAEsTeOjsCCLwIVAsJ0k3dT9nFKZMqlGZxs40ALflbOofIQg4_cK3dyeUAs0Pa8U5P07y8asoXzL-TFSCUYL84BN4weuPrgOyD2661I0V-KFHndazGq4womDsm1HouNOgMQM9aE0QJLuWYYPO58p7cRgDbwhD/s3057/RCO020_1703117754.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3057" data-original-width="1988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMq6pxz6-cpoTB-PlwnTAW_JBe2JewLlvcAEsTeOjsCCLwIVAsJ0k3dT9nFKZMqlGZxs40ALflbOofIQg4_cK3dyeUAs0Pa8U5P07y8asoXzL-TFSCUYL84BN4weuPrgOyD2661I0V-KFHndazGq4womDsm1HouNOgMQM9aE0QJLuWYYPO58p7cRgDbwhD/s320/RCO020_1703117754.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">This was an interesting year for Green Lantern.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As I've mentioned before, I wasn't really that much of a fan of Jeremy Adams' work as a whole, I always thought it was fine and with good intentions but ultimately never reaches its actual potential. That didn't change when he was announced as the new writer of Green Lantern since while there are a few good ideas there, I think it doesn't compensate for how much regression went for the character of Hal Jordan.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But why do I mention that? Because in that same title there was a second feature by Phillip Kennedy Johnson about the character of John Stewart and it was easily the most interesting part of it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yes, after his solid work on Action Comics, Johnson went to handle Green Lantern in his own way and the second feature eventually became its own title. Going for a more cosmic tone compared to the weirdly grounded work that Adams' tries to do but ironically enough, Johnson actually does a more faithful portrayal of John, not ignoring his previous development and actually building from it. Is great to see how John tries to find a balance between his life as a soldier and architect and fortunately the writer realizes that the latter is ultimately the most important part of his personality.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The ideas don't end there since Johnson makes a very creative take on the mythos, reinventing a few of the classic Green Lantern concepts while making the protagonist interact with different planets and races even involving different timelines and realities. Is a pretty dense read in that regard.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Nonetheless, despite of the more cosmic-oriented direction, Johnson also makes the relationship between John and his mother a core aspect of the series, making her a motivation for John during the story. I think overall is a more successful way to make the character relatable than whatever the hell Adams was doing with Hal.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This is another successful book by Johnson and this is not even the best one this year but before that, let's talk about:</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">7. Mark Waid/Dan Mora's Shazam.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ocM0cbNxE_8ir_uo70juWDFljWxXY0MNoEKG0Lx9lcNr8PaIcHeHiS5MUqnUWRa8ykATygZxyLMqv8-qFbd-1rwly1CUc49pOyl6Ek9UCgpyw3uSNVN8JRNFdNhC8T9K6RKNN-EuR260ye0QbxnPFXyq23tfBUyYBNKQmTjkLixRCqXCADwz6_m7ckC6/s1600/RCO007_1701777515.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1040" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ocM0cbNxE_8ir_uo70juWDFljWxXY0MNoEKG0Lx9lcNr8PaIcHeHiS5MUqnUWRa8ykATygZxyLMqv8-qFbd-1rwly1CUc49pOyl6Ek9UCgpyw3uSNVN8JRNFdNhC8T9K6RKNN-EuR260ye0QbxnPFXyq23tfBUyYBNKQmTjkLixRCqXCADwz6_m7ckC6/s320/RCO007_1701777515.jpeg" width="208" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">After a couple of years of rather poor offerings in the Shazam franchise (including the frikking second movie), I was fearing that the series was going to remain in limbo once again. Even when Mark Waid was announced as the new writer I wasn't still that optimistic about it since Waid had a, let's say, tendency at writing kids that is not often the best, not to mention that I didn't trust DC much at the actual direction they could take with the series.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Well, those fears quickly put aside thankfully... for the most part.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">What Waid gives us here is a very "classic" superhero story and that's really when Waid is at his best. Is a story that exploits the most basic aspects of the old Captain Marvel tales with Billy being a kid who depends a lot on the power of the Shazam but that puts him in an interesting dilemma when the writer decides to create a conflict that doesn't make such transformation as easy as it used to be. Add the fact that Waid includes stuff like space dinosaurs, intelligent gorillas and even forgotten concepts from the original Fawcett Comics and you get as classic comic book fun as you can, it has a very Silver Age feel.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, not everything is perfect though. Waid often goes to that "classic" direction to a fault as well. Shazam's new nickname "The Captain" seems too forced and out of place at times, I understand that Waid really wanted to bring back that name but the way it was introduced and implemented doesn't make a lot of sense. Plus, Waid's decision to make Billy a weak boy who needs the Shazam power to get out of trouble goes against what Geoff Johns implemented early on this same continuity about how Billy was a stronger person due that he grew up as an orphan (which makes me doubt about what kind of continuity Waid is following). Finally, the choice of the writer about returning to the original idea of Billy and Captain Marvel being different persons gets away from the charm of Shazam being just a child in the body of an adult superhero which is something that most people have become attached to.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dan Mora's artwork was a great way to bring even more attention to the launch of this book since his energetic and vibrant style was a perfect fit for a book dedicated to young characters while the classic comic moments are depicted with the required creativity.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There are problems I find in this run but there are not enough to ruin what ultimately is a pretty enjoyable story, one that I'm excited to look forward every month.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And this is far from the only mention that Mark Waid will get here.</p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>6. Mark Waid/Emanuela Luppachino's World's Finest: Teen Titans.</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CNGuO0ppS1eDM5DCgiAP6V-5mab5RqFesCMhXi0sFP6-nm9OlpbvkBVq85-qd6aWP1QxllzuWLaXJ-4IWtYtxaypDsYlNf_XD9F9v_EbdsKMg2BrWCiL3LdBpHodvX5_X7B0ZvnFEdD7-23jQQvUmFjt8hAAOvtnjB-xtUvUwUwZy5tgQA_Qe17iFuO8/s1903/World's%20Finest%20-%20Teen%20Titans%20006%20(2024)%20(Digital)%20(Shan-Empire)-012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1903" data-original-width="1441" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CNGuO0ppS1eDM5DCgiAP6V-5mab5RqFesCMhXi0sFP6-nm9OlpbvkBVq85-qd6aWP1QxllzuWLaXJ-4IWtYtxaypDsYlNf_XD9F9v_EbdsKMg2BrWCiL3LdBpHodvX5_X7B0ZvnFEdD7-23jQQvUmFjt8hAAOvtnjB-xtUvUwUwZy5tgQA_Qe17iFuO8/s320/World's%20Finest%20-%20Teen%20Titans%20006%20(2024)%20(Digital)%20(Shan-Empire)-012.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I didn't know what to expect from this to be honest.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Mark Waid doesn't have the best track record writing young characters, he usually writes them overly-annoying or purposely unlikable so I was clearly a bit apprehensive about what he was gonna do with the main DC teenage superhero team.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Thank God that Waid learned from previous mistakes apparently since all of the characters here have been extremely likable and in a very accurate way for the most part.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Based on the early years of the Teen Titans (basically another "Year One" retelling) we see the growing pains of he group, getting to know each other, trying to figure out a way to work together despite of their differences and ultimately learning that they are all friends above anything else and need to fight against those who want to destroy their family.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There's a lot to appreciate here in terms of characterization. Robin keeping secrets from the rest because of his overbearing father figure, Aqualad being an introvert and learning how to have a normal life with others and Speedy overcompensating with the fact that he's own father figure is always absent. Waid clearly made his homework about the roots of these characters and went to interesting directions with them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The dynamic between all of them is also pretty great. The beginning of Mal Duncan and Bumblebee's relationship is really enjoyable while the end of Donna Troy and Garth's feels sad yet appropriate for both of them while characters like Roy Harper can create conflict for all of them but is understandable considering his own issues.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Emanuela Luppachino's artwork certainly contributed to the appeal of this series. Her expressive and beautiful characters were perfect for the more dramatic scenes which are a staple in a Titans series.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If there's a reason why this is not higher on the list is because this being a 6 issue miniseries makes some of the resolutions a bit unsatisfying and the whole conflict overly-rushed (and is not helped by the poor personality of the villains). However, all the positives from this book makes me want more, especially because what we currently have with this particular team is the uninspired run by Tom Taylor.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Funnily enough, there's something I found more fun as a whole.</p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. Chip Zdarsky's Batman.</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdF_nw8lzFGy_kNnP-VJWPCJa9S20Nwjs8ekonvuQRmK8V8yfb6LerW4zrupMVSnKTDR_XjAZ48skynQkkbgG6ztbyzVvsy7eU_uq5RSZ32CmuVrBEvDTVSbtPPcDrKR_D7csaZecdXOGhPoz7sDVH9NZU24LCZLJCxcwnyhYecfWf-sQL7iuB1Xm7tByt/s3057/RCO046_1683025689.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3057" data-original-width="1988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdF_nw8lzFGy_kNnP-VJWPCJa9S20Nwjs8ekonvuQRmK8V8yfb6LerW4zrupMVSnKTDR_XjAZ48skynQkkbgG6ztbyzVvsy7eU_uq5RSZ32CmuVrBEvDTVSbtPPcDrKR_D7csaZecdXOGhPoz7sDVH9NZU24LCZLJCxcwnyhYecfWf-sQL7iuB1Xm7tByt/s320/RCO046_1683025689.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Yes, Gotham War was a another derivative Batman crossover in a long list of derivative Batman crossovers but forced mandates aside, Chip Zdarsky's Batman continues to be genuinely good.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">During his second year on the title, Zdarsky decided to play with ideas that I haven't seen pretty much since Grant Morrison's days on the franchise. The Multiverse plays a huge aspect in Zdarsky's plans with Batman visiting alternate realities and while I think there's a bit of an unnecessary and predictable emphasis on the Joker here, the writer still manages to create an interesting twist about it concerning a man who never became insane and is now obsessed to become such maniac.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The rest is just pure alternate Earths fun with Batman not only meeting alternate versions of his rogues gallery but also from himself which involves the typical Batmen that you would expect including the Dark Knight Returns one, the Red Rain one, the Batman Beyond one but there are also some that I didn't think were part of such Multiverse by now like the Adam West, Michael Keaton and even the Christian Bale one and they all play an important role in the story to help the main character. Bruce using a goofy gadget to win a battle against an impossible enemy is probably one of my favorite moments from this year.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Sure, the book eventually deviates due to the already mentioned pointless event but what Zdarsky does is very creative and more important than everything fun, not to mention that he never loses the core of the characters and presents them in an appropriate way. Bruce is not the only focus here either since the writer handles second features usually and I have to say he writes Tim Drake rather well in those.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm really entertained by this title and I hope things stay this way for the long run but to be honest, there are more consistent books from now on.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Phillip Kennedy Johnson's Action Comics.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxq0D9pR2wtryK4A0K8zoyFKvkDRE9eGJwn-f37lKm1MD3_EyHJysBUwGbM6kRcM6pId7tCtdyy6GrUG-hR_PjtYQAPkbOR35l5Y-2dBTlmVWSo5g7DV3sIwlxMsk1DaUZ95EvyxKyIISOQltXe3-1YoAVSNWCj4UYqVIX-vacvSrVnfhD63VSAyHHGiJL/s1600/RCO004_1695927209.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="1600" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxq0D9pR2wtryK4A0K8zoyFKvkDRE9eGJwn-f37lKm1MD3_EyHJysBUwGbM6kRcM6pId7tCtdyy6GrUG-hR_PjtYQAPkbOR35l5Y-2dBTlmVWSo5g7DV3sIwlxMsk1DaUZ95EvyxKyIISOQltXe3-1YoAVSNWCj4UYqVIX-vacvSrVnfhD63VSAyHHGiJL/s320/RCO004_1695927209.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">This is one of the first signs that should tell you how good the Superman line is right now.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Phillip Kennedy Johnson has been delivering solid Superman stories from day one since he started a few years ago and of course 2023 was no different. Playing at the beginning of this year with the direction of the Superman family being bigger than ever, Johnson utilizes this opportunity to write many of the supporting characters from the line and he does a pretty wonderful job at the dynamics between all of them, developing logical character work based on their experience (even Jon Kent who heavily needs it right now) and involving appropriate antagonists that only the whole team can face.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of the most important aspects from this book is how well Johnson understands Superman from how he interacts with people, being either his family or just normal people, and how he deals with his enemies, making they face the consequences of their crimes but at the same time, believing they can get better if they're giving the chance and even willing to help those close to them. This is as on-point of a portrayal as you can get.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If there's a problem with the book is that Johnson has to share it with other features (and sadly in some issues include the awful Leah Williams' Power Girl) but aside from that, this just a very well-written book and part of a new era of the character that only gets better from here.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And speaking of which...</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Mark Waid/Dan Mora's World's Finest.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuba4zq1k0jIKzXsUyKNHmAPMLlV9uzG9uB4iQlifrEjKDS36F4qelEWGcmmkUjRnTrybJi0E5QYTMSYXSbQD2aQWcJn6vmMrs0p7bQWp_qPzKCUrJWbuwSfFDtfsHLaLHUbGZUjkhn2ZjdjIP3t8sUTTtXPeU_0U6W8-bNHHFqgEwXjKrZIIHgeXnD49l/s1600/RCO022_1700568101.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1040" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuba4zq1k0jIKzXsUyKNHmAPMLlV9uzG9uB4iQlifrEjKDS36F4qelEWGcmmkUjRnTrybJi0E5QYTMSYXSbQD2aQWcJn6vmMrs0p7bQWp_qPzKCUrJWbuwSfFDtfsHLaLHUbGZUjkhn2ZjdjIP3t8sUTTtXPeU_0U6W8-bNHHFqgEwXjKrZIIHgeXnD49l/s320/RCO022_1700568101.jpeg" width="208" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">This surprisingly gets better and better.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Mark Waid has been delivering solid classic superhero stories with a very Silver Age feel since he launched this book with strong characterization and interesting ideas.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, this year his big plans have become really apparent.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Last year we saw the appearance of Waid's own creation from the 90s, Magog, return in a very surprising manner, a manner in which he connects to Superman in a very interesting way that gives a much bigger insight into the relationship they had in Waid's classic story Kingdom Come but for some reason, it didn't occur to me that the writer would return to that universe so soon.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yes, Waid has revisited such universe in the past as seen in the sequel series The Kingdom. However, such book wasn't really that great to be honest due that it had a bunch of ideas that didn't really contribute to the Kingdom Come world or characters and it mostly served as a way to introduce the concept of Hypertime to be able to reintroduce ideas similar to the Multiverse without actually reintroducing the Multiverse.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But I digress, what Waid is currently doing here is actually reinventing the Kingdom Come world in a way. Cementing the beginning of David/Magog as an antihero and presenting a bunch of ideas that makes a lot of sense for this particular reality (and even using Geoff Johns' vision of Gog of all things since Waid apparently realizes that portraying him as an actual deity is much better than simply depicting him as a religious fanatic obsessed with Superman as he did in The Kingdom).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Of course, one of the highlights is the strong dynamic between Superman and Batman due that Waid really nails their relationship and continues to depict them appropriately based on the problematic situation they find themselves in with Superman believing that his own Kingdom Come self has not done enough for this world and Batman trying to figure out what's happening. Is solid stuff overall.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Don't ask me how Dan Mora is able to work on two books monthly while maintaining the same quality because I sure as hell don't know but I'm glad that he's still on board since he gave the series its own identity and remains looking great in every action scenes.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As a whole, I will say that this remains the strongest of Waid's works this year since while I've found a few issues with Shazam and World's Finest: Teen Titans, I just can't find any real fault in World's Finest. Is simply a strong book that keeps getting better and better.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, there's something that gained more my attention this year, something a bit more unique.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Christopher Priest's Superman: Lost.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfciCVJ__awApLUnRJaphyphenhyphen0o_evxJjT4gjW2XMmp2XDpve8Z1lYLVprPaf7tuFoL-9EdNyeDgCcwC6bO9EBDPfQfaApPaSrGaZe6GVpEpNk1-0Hlkac5cVJprWqvbwpLbmafr5Z1FiLf31wVnxDVzzTT5OvcGzs1bhDsTFlBLBQMipgQrVFi-wWQnxEeT/s3122/Superman%20-%20Lost%20009%20(of%2010)%20(2024)%20(Webrip)%20(The%20Last%20Kryptonian-DCP)%20(HD-Upscaled)-003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="3122" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfciCVJ__awApLUnRJaphyphenhyphen0o_evxJjT4gjW2XMmp2XDpve8Z1lYLVprPaf7tuFoL-9EdNyeDgCcwC6bO9EBDPfQfaApPaSrGaZe6GVpEpNk1-0Hlkac5cVJprWqvbwpLbmafr5Z1FiLf31wVnxDVzzTT5OvcGzs1bhDsTFlBLBQMipgQrVFi-wWQnxEeT/s320/Superman%20-%20Lost%20009%20(of%2010)%20(2024)%20(Webrip)%20(The%20Last%20Kryptonian-DCP)%20(HD-Upscaled)-003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Is funny because, despite of my excitement for Christopher Priest's work on Black Adam, that series didn't end up as well as it could. In fact it felt weirdly rushed with ideas that never really achieved anything fulfilling and a wasted potential which is especially frustrating since you would think an antihero book would be perfect for Priest after his amazing work on Deathstroke.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And then he was announced he was going to write a Superman book which funnily didn't catch my attention so quickly since Priest's strengths are based on more grounded characters, more <i>human</i> characters as one would say, in which Priest can explore dilemmas of morality and how the relationships between those people work.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Of course I should have known better that Priest is a very experienced writer and what he did here was nothing short of impressive.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The premise is about Superman being away from Lois Lane in a way and from that you can start figuring out what kind of theme Priest is going to be playing with here. However, the writer goes surprisingly high concept here with Superman visiting different planets and cultures, interacting with alien characters and races and trying to learn he can solve their own problems in his own way while adapting to the way they live, is a very interesting direction and one that Priest exploits to his fullest.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But of course, this wouldn't be a Priest book if he wasn't exploring the more human side of this premise and this is perfectly reflected in the relationship between Lois and Clark, about how he being far away starts causing harm to their dynamic and while Lois understand is Clark's job to help people, she can't help but feeling that she's starting to lose him. Is a very complex portrayal of a couple from a superhero perspective and makes me want to see how all of this would be resolved.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Of course there's also the author's trademarked social commentary that is focused on the many alien cultures that have some resemblance to the one on Earth which works pretty well for an idealistic character like Superman. That being said, one my favorite aspects here is the portrayal of Lex Luthor who is obsessed with Clark and extremely evil in his own way to the point of causing harm to someone close to harm and ironically torturing himself in the process because he can't help but keep thinking in the many ways of how Clark could take revenge on him.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Is just a very interesting take on the concept of Superman, one that I haven't seen in a while to be honest and one that is greatly appreciated.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Now what could be my number 1 pick?</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Joshua Williamson's Superman.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRKf3AIHPiSKo14fs3yFZBlRijWC7CEdePY38IVjV7VVP2BanNwTtR-h4F7SNGMYYhqWglReMvGpsWTv3L0ZXxl_y6R8QAw_cLqQ7uuO_mAXal_gkiWBMWeexhq_6iQqOwi70uHz0H1NWt6H7YZMvLacUgXO-Ts8px5TkXbHw8Ke0sHUqNX6sRzwzVn9P/s2400/Superman%20001%20(2023)%20(Webrip)%20(The%20Last%20Kryptonian-DCP)-023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1561" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRKf3AIHPiSKo14fs3yFZBlRijWC7CEdePY38IVjV7VVP2BanNwTtR-h4F7SNGMYYhqWglReMvGpsWTv3L0ZXxl_y6R8QAw_cLqQ7uuO_mAXal_gkiWBMWeexhq_6iQqOwi70uHz0H1NWt6H7YZMvLacUgXO-Ts8px5TkXbHw8Ke0sHUqNX6sRzwzVn9P/s320/Superman%20001%20(2023)%20(Webrip)%20(The%20Last%20Kryptonian-DCP)-023.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">What does this makes it my favorite book of the year?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Well, for one, it was a very pleasant surprise.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">You see, Joshua Williamson was not really at his best for a while. He handled way too many books at the same time, including a few team books, all of them leading up to the forgettable event Dark Crisis which made me lose a bit of faith on the writer.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, it later became pretty clear that Williamson is just not that good at handling either team books or crossovers (which was further proved by the other average event Knight Terrors) but his solo books has always been solid at the very least and I can safely say that his work on Superman combines all of his strongest points and then some.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Coming with the premise of Lex Luthor apparently turning a new leaf, Williamson created a brand new collaboration between Clark and Lex. Sure, we have seen that in the past but during those times, Lex's interior motives were always obvious but here, you can almost believe that Lex really means it when he says he has changed but of course, this being Superman's archenemy, there's always that feeling that he might have other reasons for doing all of this. Williamson plays with that doubt and delivers one of the most interesting dynamics between Clark and Lex, one that showcases how complex both characters can be, emphasizing all of their classic traits and even creating new ones based on the unique interaction they now have.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The new ideas don't end there since the writer introduces Supercorp. A new business whose purpose is also to gain Superman's trust but at the same time, Lex can't help himself to tease his classic enemy from time to time about it, making the whole relationship even more tense. The biggest point of this direction though, is to contribute to the worldbuilding, one that involves Metropolis and its people in a big way that I haven't seen in a while.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Because yes, the whole cast of Superman pays an important role here. The Daily Planet, the Superfamily, even Superman's classic villains, all of them are part of this big plan and I love to see how each of these characters are integrated into the plot. Williamson even brings into the table a few characters that I thought gone like Lex's family and that comes with its own sort of problems.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There's also an emphasis on Lex's enemies coming for him and of course this is all related to the idea of his own mistakes and crimes coming back at him. The writer uses this as an opportunity to introduce brand new rogues to the book in a powerful way while connecting to the old ones. All of this connecting to an overarching story that is always progressing at a fast pace. This is the kind of stuff I usually see from Geoff Johns and I'm glad that Williamson is taking his role now.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">You might start understanding why I consider this my favorite book of the year. It combines everything I love from comics, worldbuilding, long-term planning, good villains, attention to continuity and strong characterization. Nonetheless, what I consider most important here is that it showed me the full potential of Joshua Williamson as a writer to the point I can safely say this is his best book yet.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yes, this gives me a lot of hope for the future and that's the best I can get from any year. Now let's see if 2024 improves things even further!</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-74399419539707214872023-12-26T14:37:00.000-08:002023-12-26T14:37:15.356-08:00Some thoughts about Justice Society of America #8<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjvnossPNb0v5qMo6qrP7bnuRDLL_0gTklD3o-uwaYIDvwaiygNvN5tDbe9nF1s8tJWTRXvet3KklBPjsYLzcdOMvNbl4CWt0nurGL5JjRsW5xuNKdg1wN0aaKybwsyYHR0Y40iFCqQwauvejLuYyREwksxjoVj88v3LznP6_G3Eo-B7jQZKEOHsdDtH2/s3057/JSA8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3057" data-original-width="1988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjvnossPNb0v5qMo6qrP7bnuRDLL_0gTklD3o-uwaYIDvwaiygNvN5tDbe9nF1s8tJWTRXvet3KklBPjsYLzcdOMvNbl4CWt0nurGL5JjRsW5xuNKdg1wN0aaKybwsyYHR0Y40iFCqQwauvejLuYyREwksxjoVj88v3LznP6_G3Eo-B7jQZKEOHsdDtH2/s320/JSA8.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Whatever happened to the Red Lantern?<p></p><p>The daughter of one of Alan Scott's old enemies has arrived looking for answers but Helena believes that there's still hope in her and other villains.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Once again, I feel like we're wasting a bit too much on meaningless material.</p><p>Geoff Johns offers a new installment where we explore more of the heavily teased Golden Age Red Lantern but surprisingly enough, it doesn't give us many answers about what happened to him. We see more of his daughter of course and there's a hint that Alan and him might have been something more than enemies at one point (and I don't know why they're trying to force all of this so early in Alan's history) but aside from that, it doesn't seem like the plot is moving, at least not as much as it should considering Johns is leaving the title soon.</p><p>Yes, there are a few hints about upcoming events but at this point I want more than simple hints, I want the actual events to happen, not dedicate more issues into planting the seeds for future stories that don't have enough time to actually become something compelling. This is sadly a letdown.</p><p>Mikel Janin handles the art and is great with expressive characters and the beautiful style you can expect from him.</p><p>Aside from that, I wish this was going somewhere already.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-3356869143538506642023-12-26T13:14:00.000-08:002023-12-26T13:14:40.880-08:00Some thoughts about Green Arrow #7<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqchKeaVhf9bPFwXhF21Gi0d3AV5rAiHQOY2B4_zu-DaZFSJghObSyGi90nLVWyW1LEhBwcGiv0juGBx9VWIfg-FkmRTftUL35l48RoGswpfIaj9fUaEx5_m7bSGAKIaOw3Ak1tCbutshH4F6u-1bL1rBV1UfQTNFEDqmS2do5QUpbTM-jcSlb591nlykU/s3057/GA7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3057" data-original-width="1988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqchKeaVhf9bPFwXhF21Gi0d3AV5rAiHQOY2B4_zu-DaZFSJghObSyGi90nLVWyW1LEhBwcGiv0juGBx9VWIfg-FkmRTftUL35l48RoGswpfIaj9fUaEx5_m7bSGAKIaOw3Ak1tCbutshH4F6u-1bL1rBV1UfQTNFEDqmS2do5QUpbTM-jcSlb591nlykU/s320/GA7.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Can Green Arrow return to his normal life?<p></p><p>Ollie is back to his own timeline and ready to go back to how things were but unfortunately he will realize that the world has changed a lot since he left but some enemies will never change apparently.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>A new storyarc opens and it seems interesting so far.</p><p>Joshua Williamson opens this new chapter with all the classic references that you can expect. Yes, is predictable from Williamson by now but I just can't help but loving the attention to continuity including the many times Ollie was part of the Justice League (even the Justice League Elite of all things) while also showing cameos of many other DC characters (and it was great to see Martian Manhunter eating his cookies). This of course plays with the idea that world has move forward while Ollie was away and gives him a feeling of being lost even despite that he returned.</p><p>The characterization is pretty on-point due that we see the protagonist interacting with people close to him and is also cool how Williamson addresses what they all are currently dealing with and forces Ollie to start working on his own plans and this connects to an old villain that is not a favorite of mine but let's see what the writer does with him.</p><p>Carmine Di Giandomenico and Trevor Hairsine handle the art and is pretty solid with a detailed style that depicts every scene clearly.</p><p>Good read, hope the next one arrives soon.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-13098221477568490042023-12-12T08:55:00.000-08:002023-12-12T11:54:12.784-08:00Some thoughts about World's Finest: Teen Titans #6<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7cKY0MoCQn3UsWp3P6PoENTtFuwQ_8Rhcq_MFDLADnfNoSBwZTWlL29uwc2QWcLg8Ni6mZ8AB3HLDLocVCILeJTgAySH5vD4to5m9CH0Ara0fePoE5DkCld14JbMU5eCGfbnNvHFAgqGhI3K7k1d5_toCmIKarNY1BapAR-I9MRxdtDa8k0RM3uAgPi5/s3057/WFTT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3057" data-original-width="1988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7cKY0MoCQn3UsWp3P6PoENTtFuwQ_8Rhcq_MFDLADnfNoSBwZTWlL29uwc2QWcLg8Ni6mZ8AB3HLDLocVCILeJTgAySH5vD4to5m9CH0Ara0fePoE5DkCld14JbMU5eCGfbnNvHFAgqGhI3K7k1d5_toCmIKarNY1BapAR-I9MRxdtDa8k0RM3uAgPi5/s320/WFTT6.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Can the team face the Terror Titans?</div><p></p><p>Robin believes that the only way to beat their new enemies is to leave their differences aside and work together properly. However, Batman will always be a complication for him and this might be his last mission.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Pretty solid overall once again.</p><p>Mark Waid concludes this opening arc by putting a resolution for most of the issues the cast had. The character work is really well done as a whole and while I believe that some of their problems were solved a bit quickly (most notably the messy relationship between Roy Harper and Oliver Queen), I think this development gets the job done for the most part.</p><p>There's not a lot of plot per se since the chapter is mostly focused on action scenes that are over rather quickly (and to be honest the antagonists were not that interesting) but still, is great to see how the characters prepare for the future in their different ways and their relationship are pretty on-point (especially the dynamic between Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson).</p><p>Mike Norton and Emanuela Lupacchino share the pencils and their work is pretty consistent during the course of the read with a fluid style.</p><p>Good read, wish this series continued.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-24575210534128640822023-12-10T08:56:00.000-08:002023-12-28T08:26:56.380-08:00The Top Ten Worst DC Comics of 2023<p style="text-align: justify;">Well, it turns out that this year wasn't as bad as previous ones thankfully, at least from a comics perspective.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p style="text-align: justify;">I don't know if it is because I have been reading less comics lately or because I have just been following the ones that I'm actually interested into (meaning less negativity which means I'm getting better) but I've found quite a few titles that I'm really digging lately and I'm really invested into.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, that also means this makes this list a bit harder to do because nothing really stands out in terms of pure awfulness and that's a bit sad coming from me since I do like doing this as a sort of catharsis for the end of the year.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And so, you are going to see a lot of what you would simply consider "mediocre". Yes, they're not noteworthy particularly as bad books but at the same time, there's very little that you would consider "good" about them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That is, of course, until we start reaching the top spots of the list because I have a lot to say about those.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This year has been all over the place and you will see that theme starting with:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">10. Tom Taylor's Titans.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-nCmXV0tdKZkw3tvX0VDco3L6VZHL1QAOXtuJe1K-CCxs8Z1dPYO9kEJtVSyLiN7aNDAakvWbWM-uaICTX64ZQMxgTL0Io4VV315TeWXxwg-UByAUB_gWSQrtDYWV5h7Hz2l363lghvX__8pz64Vact-_tDE7QvxNLmkAYFYFx70q9OdI9irIvqMDjer/s1539/Titans%20001%20(2023)-024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1207" data-original-width="1539" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-nCmXV0tdKZkw3tvX0VDco3L6VZHL1QAOXtuJe1K-CCxs8Z1dPYO9kEJtVSyLiN7aNDAakvWbWM-uaICTX64ZQMxgTL0Io4VV315TeWXxwg-UByAUB_gWSQrtDYWV5h7Hz2l363lghvX__8pz64Vact-_tDE7QvxNLmkAYFYFx70q9OdI9irIvqMDjer/s320/Titans%20001%20(2023)-024.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Yes, yes, Tom Taylor is here, what a surprise coming from me.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And really you might think this is not as bad of a title and in fact, compared to similar entries in previous lists is definitely not as bad.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, there are still things to criticize about it because sadly this book is so bland that is hard to find something positive about it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Taylor was not an odd choice for this book since his run on Nightwing was a huge success (success that I mostly attribute to Bruno Redondo's magnificent artwork and storytelling but I digress). Nonetheless, on a team book this is not reflected so well since Taylor barely has anything interesting to tell about the characters dynamic. In fact, there's nothing really new or compelling about the relationships between the cast and at times it seems like Taylor is skipping a lot of continuity (not a big surprise being Taylor) to go to the very basic of their personalities or simply going for what is more commonly known for the audience who don't even read comics (see the pandering to the Beast Boy and Raven shippers from the Teen Titans cartoons).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The story itself is nothing to write about since this is Tom Taylor, Prince of Decompression (because the King will always be Brian Bendis) we're talking about and so the plot moves at a snail pace with very few gripping directions or even antagonists (You just have to look at how little that "twist" of Wally West dying lasted due that it was quickly pushed aside in the second issue). You could say that the fact that Taylor decided to dedicate an event to Beast Boy in the recent Beast World comic is inventive enough but I have read the first issue and let's just say that I had more hope for a writer that at least seemed to have the skills to create a decent enough event comic (Seriously, Beast World is full of action scene after action scene without any room left to anything else).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Okay, this book might be by the numbers but we're just getting started here.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">9</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><b>. Jossie Campbell's The New Champion of Shazam.</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4cOIlIYSTo3gg4pHIWJx7FuY4i7RUO_H8KBbt-bOlBz7iygCS1uLYE2FgO44qCmYNrMDwbTD_ZFiKqvX_yNMH15mHKMf_uBtuE82C0T75F46M8ZZ1G1bfzwACFsk0bXuA8CMJ7ZfM9rQUqMPVni2wmQ2n-YXDRihVir0qrf2mtIQDgbt1wIY0HzfjIU9/s990/RCO007_1673958749.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="990" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4cOIlIYSTo3gg4pHIWJx7FuY4i7RUO_H8KBbt-bOlBz7iygCS1uLYE2FgO44qCmYNrMDwbTD_ZFiKqvX_yNMH15mHKMf_uBtuE82C0T75F46M8ZZ1G1bfzwACFsk0bXuA8CMJ7ZfM9rQUqMPVni2wmQ2n-YXDRihVir0qrf2mtIQDgbt1wIY0HzfjIU9/s320/RCO007_1673958749.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Yep, just with a single issue this year this is still present here somehow but there's an understandable reason why.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Last year in this same list I mentioned how Jossie Campbell was a bit fixated on the idea of "Mary Marvel is The New Champion of Shazam and if you don't like it is because you are a misogynist!" without even being challenged about it, preemptively creating a whole problem as a theme of her book and barely telling a story beyond that.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And that actually was the <i>subtle</i> part of the book since the last issue just went far beyond anything conceivable.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Funnily enough, there was an actual positive thing in this poor excuse of a plot. The villain turned out to be Georgia Sivana, the often forgotten daughter of Doctor Sivana, which is the most appropriate direction that Campbell made for the title since she was a logical antagonist for Mary from an intellectual perspective.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Sadly, all the negatives drop like a rock from there.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Campbell became even more heavyhanded than anything we have seen so far. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Presenting a lot of the villains as complete stereotypical online </span><span style="color: #222222;">misogynists</span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> who simply can't accept the fact that there's a woman using the Shazam name is just cringey by itself but what makes it even cringiest is the stuff those caricatures say ("She-Zam" might be one of the laziest insults ever invented and since Campbell is the one who came up with it, is incredibly hilarious how she doesn't realize that doesn't speak well of her writing). Speaking of writing, the narration is still overwritten as hell, especially when Georgia starts </span>explaining<span style="font-family: inherit;"> her whole plan to Mary with every little detail she can think of and there's absolutely no self-awareness about how clunky the exposition is. Finally, the conflict finishes just as quickly as it started and in a pretty unsatisfying way to boot which makes me feel like all of this was a waste of time and, considering the Shazam Mary series ends with this, it makes it even worse.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, what do we get from this "era"? Apparently absolutely nothing since Mark Waid eventually took over the franchise with a greater range of success and Mary doesn't even play a relevant role there. This actually makes The New Champion of Shazam even worse in my book since this was the opportunity to give Mary a modern interpretation that could make her a more complex character and bring a brand new audience into the series, but of course that couldn't happen because Jossie Campbell was too busy trying to sell a message.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">Well, the Shazam series was a big mess for this little period of time but that actually reminded me who started that mess:</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">8. Tim Sheridan's Alan Scott: The Green Lantern.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEu6F-JhyIyjPBCr-vZ6vYYFB6xV5FQKAUu1m1mQJr4v0pa_nIDOchq3fDR8DzLRzIfr2c5J9RyoTMOASV_FjSsxPDEKmcXwtxFRFNjxYuw-QxO4In9ZHuUEkeZkAe_I1LttbbhBu2Za5_oZd4LzZVvIESJEZr2BtWE_SgYnHENGGAOMkJlKv4NKEbACPw/s553/Alan%20Scott%20-%20The%20Green%20Lantern%20002%20(2024)_007.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="553" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEu6F-JhyIyjPBCr-vZ6vYYFB6xV5FQKAUu1m1mQJr4v0pa_nIDOchq3fDR8DzLRzIfr2c5J9RyoTMOASV_FjSsxPDEKmcXwtxFRFNjxYuw-QxO4In9ZHuUEkeZkAe_I1LttbbhBu2Za5_oZd4LzZVvIESJEZr2BtWE_SgYnHENGGAOMkJlKv4NKEbACPw/s320/Alan%20Scott%20-%20The%20Green%20Lantern%20002%20(2024)_007.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">This might probably be one of the biggest hints that this year is not so bad overall. Tim Sheridan, <b>Tim Frikking Sheridan</b>, one of the worst writers in recent years didn't have one of the top spots this time.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Then again, Tim Sheridan is still Tim Sheridan so of course there was going to be something bad about anything he puts his name on.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Sure, this is not as godawful as his work on Teen Titans or Shazam but it still suffers from a lot of stuff that seems extremely amateurish for anyone who is actually hired to write comics.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Let's start from the basic problem from a crafting perspective, the pacing is atrocious in this book. The story jumps from different points in time and not in a natural way at all, not even in a creative way due that there's very little reason for the plot to keep changing scenarios and time periods aside from trying to be superficially more complex. Then again, pretending to be more complex than it actually is shouldn't be too much of a surprise coming from Sheridan, the guy who made the bright decision to create 3 different Red X to make the "mystery" of the character's identity more intriguing in Teen Titans Academy (and I don't believe that actually was ever solved now that I think about it, not that I'm losing any sleep about it).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, I think the biggest flaw from this book is that it actually leaves the character of Alan Scott rather badly. For those who are not aware, Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern, was retconned in recent years to have been a closeted Gay man for all these years and to be honest, I was kinda ambivalent about this change because I don't think it served any purpose aside from creating a connection to the modern reinvention Alan got in the now forgotten New 52 Earth 2 universe (which I actually liked and miss everyday) and making the bad fanfic writer James Tynion IV happy. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, I was willing to give it a chance since it kinda makes sense that a few characters that were created in the 1940s to be actually closeted Gay people considering the era and there was actually some potential for stories to explore. Of course that potential was thrown out of the window when Tim Sheridan enter the book because he had the wonderful idea of Alan having multiple male partners over the years and just decided to get married to women because "it was the right thing", okay, first of all, this wouldn't have been so bad if we were talking about any other character that wasn't Alan Scott, a man known for his great moral compass and responsibility, Alan Scott simply wouldn't lie to the women he married about who he really is, it would be one thing if Alan was just confused because of the time he was born and just later in life figured out who he was, but this? This stupid premise and direction portrays Alan in a terrible light and obviously makes me wish that another creator was handling it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So yeah, Sheridan ruined it, but everyone knew that at the time of this book's announcement so at least is not a disappointment.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And speaking of things that are not really a disappointment...</p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>7. Mark Waid's Lazarus Planet.</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBw_1WC8CtFoOfsRGYO-FqkVVrD848-FXOrwhNW9CB6r14mDqX0L8NQQ929I2zQTFlXygKh7CJZHrXvCBq9ZoR0kfEKh1bAvUIV7OY4WVZq9CpNe6T2vqBSAv8Zrua9c19vB-KqEh-fkdhZ5tLcA0KUvfTNon8mW2yox89ElRBmT-FVTHXTsaPxju3fCYy/s967/RCO028_w_1677026057.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="967" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBw_1WC8CtFoOfsRGYO-FqkVVrD848-FXOrwhNW9CB6r14mDqX0L8NQQ929I2zQTFlXygKh7CJZHrXvCBq9ZoR0kfEKh1bAvUIV7OY4WVZq9CpNe6T2vqBSAv8Zrua9c19vB-KqEh-fkdhZ5tLcA0KUvfTNon8mW2yox89ElRBmT-FVTHXTsaPxju3fCYy/s320/RCO028_w_1677026057.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I like Mark Waid, most of the time at least.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As I've mentioned before, he has a great skill at creating comic stories that feel both classic and modern at the same time and I'm going to be discussing that in an upcoming list.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, there are some weak points that he hasn't polished yet and this has been obvious since the beginning of his career.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Waid's crossover events have never been that great to put it mildly, in fact they have been extremely forgettable at best and the only ones worth remembering are the ones with other very talented creators helping him (Like in the acclaimed weekly series 52).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Lazarus Planet didn't start the best way either since it was based on the very derivative and off-point Batman Vs. Robin book that Waid created, a miniseries that regressed both Bruce and Damian Wayne to basically the beginning of their relationship were they barely trusted each other, practically ignoring all the development they got for their dynamic under Peter Tomasi and Joshua Williamson (and the more I think about it, the more I believe Batman Vs, Robin should have gotten a spot in this list last year).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And so Lazarus Planet build-up from some of the ideas Waid created for that title and suddenly starts turning a lot of people in Metahumans and awakening new powers from already superpowered people. So yeah, this is basically the same premise as the 90s crossover Bloodlines and just as forgettable as that one.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Basically nothing really interesting happens here, not in terms of world changing events or even character development due that is based on a simple gimmick, a gimmick that seems extremely editorially mandated and thus it almost seems forced in a way so with that in mind you could say that Waid is not completely at fault for this. However, what he actually handled like the erratic story pacing, bad character dynamics and underwhelming plot is still necessary to mention and thus, makes it responsible.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But hey, Lazarus Planet might be creatively bankrupt and forgettable but is not like we get that every frikking year right?</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">6. Chip Zdarsky/Tini Howard/Matthew Rosenberg's Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDUv3TTbYx3B5snCoFS88ofZBnwpcEFtBSdZEp8WbdOWGy7YXxOWJc08AXHpISuAGMiuWwyUbzWs1dEK_zh2M1hP0Pcwp58jJBsih5JbuJEAxXTOwqqTFdsjwe0dE73i-gNe2FFElNgqTv8BtVx4FKs6E5rMMUBxbzs1UR-DjYsnjZ0q5Vt_4S-FwHHoP/s910/RCO025_w_1698176674.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="910" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDUv3TTbYx3B5snCoFS88ofZBnwpcEFtBSdZEp8WbdOWGy7YXxOWJc08AXHpISuAGMiuWwyUbzWs1dEK_zh2M1hP0Pcwp58jJBsih5JbuJEAxXTOwqqTFdsjwe0dE73i-gNe2FFElNgqTv8BtVx4FKs6E5rMMUBxbzs1UR-DjYsnjZ0q5Vt_4S-FwHHoP/s320/RCO025_w_1698176674.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Ah, dammit!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm pretty sure I'm talking for everyone when I say: I'm so damn tired of wars in Gotham City.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Robin War, The War of Jokes and Riddles, Joker War, Shadow War and now The Gotham War, and while I still think that Joker War is the most uninspired and desperate of all of them (Once again, thanks to James Tynion IV's lack of originality), The Gotham War might one of the biggest offenses in terms of Batman crossovers because at one point someone at editorial should have said enough is enough.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And really, I can't help but put the blame on Batman editorial for all of this since this idea doesn't seem like a logical direction for any of the writers involved here. I have enjoyed a lot of what Chip Zdarsky has written in Batman and while I'm not that familiar with Tini Howard's work, I know that neither of them would write something as derivative as a new conflict between Batman and Catwoman. For God's sake, as much as I criticized Tom King's Batman run, at least he knew it was time to go beyond that.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another reason why I think nobody really wanted to work on this is because there's barely any effort in the plot. All of the characters just go through the motions and is all for nothing because we all know that this will only end with Bruce and Selina making peace and so this is all a waste of time and talent.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Oh, but I think there was someone putting what you somehow could call "effort", a writer called Matthew Rosenberg who probably made one of the worst portrayals of Jason Todd/Red Hood which almost destroys the character, regressing him to his early days by making him both obsessed and terrified of the Joker and writing something so badly does take some work. You can call Scott Lobdell whatever you want but you have to admit that at least he did everything in his power to turn Jason into his own person and move forward, Rosenberg simply decided to go backwards for God knows what reason (and you can bet that I'm planning to write more about Rosenberg later).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Derivative, dull and ultimately worthless makes The Gotham War easily one of the most unmemorable Batman events in recent years and sadly "unmemorable" is a word that is plaguing the Batman books later as seen in:</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">5. Ed Brisson's Batman Incorporated.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tDZu_HAcfbcMH3J6m1FqaowGKQgQ9zh2VvfQpW5ERMyceIEZymIOpsiVAZoDZU7neZ481tIYr0Szdz4Nc09hdFMui65purkC_QL1QVFg2swYU1rD4oW3uUiRldb0ELpVjJEgEg4tn2KIA6iUaBHyA4O-lFyM3VpSizdqZVuyvPwalT99h9lz2ptoYHWZ/s1559/Batman%20Incorporated%20012%20(2023)%20(Webrip)%20(The%20Last%20Kryptonian-DCP)%20(HD-Upscaled)-016.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1559" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tDZu_HAcfbcMH3J6m1FqaowGKQgQ9zh2VvfQpW5ERMyceIEZymIOpsiVAZoDZU7neZ481tIYr0Szdz4Nc09hdFMui65purkC_QL1QVFg2swYU1rD4oW3uUiRldb0ELpVjJEgEg4tn2KIA6iUaBHyA4O-lFyM3VpSizdqZVuyvPwalT99h9lz2ptoYHWZ/s320/Batman%20Incorporated%20012%20(2023)%20(Webrip)%20(The%20Last%20Kryptonian-DCP)%20(HD-Upscaled)-016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Ghost-Maker and The Clownhunter were chosen to be the protagonists of this.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That premise alone should have tell you this was going to be a disaster.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And I honestly think this is also part of Batman editorial because unfortunately James Tynion IV's run sold rather well due that he used every predictable trick in the book to catch the unreliable attention of the audience and so that resulted in the creation of Clownhunter (Robin rip-off #100) and Ghost-Maker (Batman rip-off #150) which I guess made editorial believe they were "popular" so they picked them for this new incarnation of Batman Incorporated (and you can't tell me that this was not their intention since for some godforsaken reason they are still planning to make Punchline a thing despite of being Harley Quinn rip-off #whatever). </p><p style="text-align: justify;">This obviously ultimately puts the characters who make Batman Inc. Batman Inc. on the frikking sidelines which if you know me you should know that is one of my most hated directions that a book can take, the classic cast shouldn't ever, EVER become the supporting cast in what used to be their book, they're are the whole reason why we are here in the first place! (It doesn't help that all of the Tynion's creations are as bland as a cardboard of course).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That being said, that is not the main reason why this book is here, the main reason why this is here is because this book ultimately accomplished <b>nothing</b>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The story just quickly went nowhere because it devolved around Ghost-Maker's terrible leadership and you know what? That was apparently the point all along! Ed Brisson seemingly wanted to demonstrate that Ghost-Maker was poorly fitted for the team and so he eventually dissolved his version of Batman Incorporated. If that was the real reason then I guess I need to give some credit to the writer due that he went against what editorial forced on him and I believe that Brisson is still a solid author due that the scenes in which he wrote the other characters were decent enough. However, this doesn't change the fact that the title was a big waste of time and the only positive thing we got here is that both Ghost-Maker and Clownhunter apparently vanished from DC Comics (and hopefully Punchline follows suit despite that some mad people at editorial don't want to let her go).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So yeah, this didn't have much potential since the beginning but it wasn't the only book about lesser-known characters that failed to turn them popular.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Matthew Rosenberg's WildC.A.T.s.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKvyevk71zguec2zmz0ojKOL7IZyvn4xA60wIGxymfZJvKvuXRLNd_QeCPLJF5TJqiDysva8PjkmxyAu6CVXNmqj9LMwj8ERiQyn3UcF3nK0-IcvjDSehgxYbXnbVfVx8n-NPB360LVyd0cSHXPdiCLiTrmjrCmfkjGYoQCfb0vSwzalpb1T5BtLkvy_a/s1225/WildC.A.T.s%20012%20(2024)%20(digital)%20(Walkabout-Empire)-021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1225" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKvyevk71zguec2zmz0ojKOL7IZyvn4xA60wIGxymfZJvKvuXRLNd_QeCPLJF5TJqiDysva8PjkmxyAu6CVXNmqj9LMwj8ERiQyn3UcF3nK0-IcvjDSehgxYbXnbVfVx8n-NPB360LVyd0cSHXPdiCLiTrmjrCmfkjGYoQCfb0vSwzalpb1T5BtLkvy_a/s320/WildC.A.T.s%20012%20(2024)%20(digital)%20(Walkabout-Empire)-021.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">This is a big letdown, if anything because of principle.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Let's just say that most of the Wildstorm creations didn't have the best of lucks since the line ended in 2010. There have been multiple attempts at revivals over the years including during the New 52 and more notoriously in 2017 in The Wild Storm series written by Warren Ellis, who was responsible for what the original line was eventually known for.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Sadly, Warren Ellis was eventually accused of sexual misconduct and of course many of his projects were dropped by basically everyone in existence and so, The Wild Storm universe never continued, leaving the line once again without direction.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But then came Matthew Rosenberg wanting to tell a story about the flagship team book from the line created by Jim Lee, making fans excited that this could be an actual worthwhile rebirth considering such book didn't have a relaunch for many years.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">How did it go? Well, you should get a clue considering the article I'm writing but I will explain even further than that by saying that I wasn't really familiar with Matthew Rosenberg's work before this year and I miss those days now.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Seriously, if there's something pretty common I have found in Rosenberg's title is the lack of a goddamn point. For example, you would think that this revival of Wild.C.A.T.s would at the very least try to explore the characters and concepts that made the Wildstorm universe popular in the first place but nope! Rosenberg instead creates a story that is all over the place, forcing elements from the main DCU like the Court of Owls and basically turning them into the main focus of the book and almost forgetting the true intention of it (I mean, when a frikking new Outsiders title implements and understands the themes of Wildstorm better then we have a big problem).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another common problem in this writer's books is that the pacing is so erratic that makes me believe Rosenberg is not really made to write comics. There's barely any room to breathe among the constant and forgettable action scenes that ultimately lead to nothing since the plot is almost non-existent and ends in an extremely anticlimactic way.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And my God, of course that leads to...</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Matthew Rosenberg's Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZz68yJrceztOdguXA3lj2UvfINwx8V0OCUiPQusvBXc-K3MDQelFMBs9-mKsSKuO3uyVmkfIHziFl-HLoLNeUgBAhuCyuiY0t6lowYb5BHypPbUZGBU2e4DBgVDWLrLXwhNlTXOlEOSDedz434ZGJunXZiGTMWK-C6J7v1S-Mx_fh-KPlvTUXq46tOlp/s1191/RCO032_w_1699358426.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="1191" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZz68yJrceztOdguXA3lj2UvfINwx8V0OCUiPQusvBXc-K3MDQelFMBs9-mKsSKuO3uyVmkfIHziFl-HLoLNeUgBAhuCyuiY0t6lowYb5BHypPbUZGBU2e4DBgVDWLrLXwhNlTXOlEOSDedz434ZGJunXZiGTMWK-C6J7v1S-Mx_fh-KPlvTUXq46tOlp/s320/RCO032_w_1699358426.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Yes, this is the comic that gave us that precious image of pregnant Joker.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But bizarrely enough, that is far from the worst thing this comic does and yet still represents everything wrong with it at the same time.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">What do I mean by that? Well, our newcomer Matthew Rosenberg has this believe that he's some sort of creative mind that can create really engaging ideas and stories that are very appropriate for the characters he's writing about and what better way to demonstrate that than putting the Clown Prince of Crime in many different crazy situations in which his madness is explored in inventive manners?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Except that obviously doesn't happen because this comic is the worst kind of pretentious you can get. The Joker simply jumps from awkward scenario to awkward scenario without any sense of direction or even motivation whatsoever, apparently Rosenberg just thought that this being the Joker he could go for every absurd event he could think of despite of how little sense it makes. It just weird for the sake of being weird, trying very hard to seem unique and ultimately turning rather embarrassing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another thing that makes this incredibly pompous is that fact that, once again, Rosenberg doesn't seem to have a point here. The story is worthless, there's absolutely no reason for the Joker to be doing all of this, his actions don't change anything at all and this is perfectly shown at the final issue since everything comes at an abrupt ending while the writer tries to say garbage that reads a lot like: "If you didn't like this is because you didn't understand it" which is something that only a talent-less douche would write.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Oh, but let's not forget the many other problems like the fact that Rosenberg still thinks he can write Jason Todd despite of almost ruining him in Gotham War and still doing a terrible job at it. The pacing is even more chaotic than in Wild.C.A.T.s making an already mess of a plot even worse. However, I think one of the most insulting aspects here is that the Joker is not even funny, I mean, Rosenberg <i>tries</i> to be funny but just like all his other attempts at everything else, he totally fails at it turning this into a very cringey read.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So yeah, it seems like Matthew Rosenberg is the Tim Sheridan of this year, just an awful writer who somehow got to write many books. Mind you, I don't think Rosenberg is as bad as Sheridan at his worst but the fact that he gets compared to him is far from a good look.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Now that I think about it, the only reason why this Rosenberg is not higher in the list is because ultimately I couldn't care less about the overused Joker so if someone writes a bad story about him then I say with relief: "So what?"</p><p style="text-align: justify;">No, the problem is when this happens to characters I care about.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Leah Williams' Power Girl.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePw6ecWi2lvnz_uE4Iex9SkF0QfRg6fslghqkLvQ6boGVQxCEPeIW17SZIoW8EUfxuq7LSo_fqUuwaCuJ5rTr4cPgRVCJzc2O6H__jwdPMu0fKgj6KsVH5bWTlvjoFFjBnReaX4blpIKGl_u9YaDPV4AW2Xr3cAwGprmHMUWgGDW7h3oDtcibLPmKqmdt/s1029/Power%20Girl%20002%20(2023)%20(Digital)%20(Walkabout-Empire)%20(HD-Upscaled)-014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="671" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePw6ecWi2lvnz_uE4Iex9SkF0QfRg6fslghqkLvQ6boGVQxCEPeIW17SZIoW8EUfxuq7LSo_fqUuwaCuJ5rTr4cPgRVCJzc2O6H__jwdPMu0fKgj6KsVH5bWTlvjoFFjBnReaX4blpIKGl_u9YaDPV4AW2Xr3cAwGprmHMUWgGDW7h3oDtcibLPmKqmdt/s320/Power%20Girl%20002%20(2023)%20(Digital)%20(Walkabout-Empire)%20(HD-Upscaled)-014.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">You have no idea how sad this makes me.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I have been claiming for a new Power Girl series for ages now. I have been a fan of the character basically since the Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner work that pretty much defined her modern personality (Yes, she had appearances before but to be honest I never found any of those portrayals as likable as in that version) and I have been supporting all of her appearances since then so you might believe that I was ready to jump straight into this.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And what do I think about this? Well, let's just say that this is the worst portrayal of Power Girl that I have seen since Paul Levitz handled her in the New 52 reboot in Worlds' Finest (which was at the top of this same list just when I started writing about comics).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Leah Williams started a brand new direction for the character in the backup stories of Action Comics but whatever she wanted to make apparently didn't have anything to do with what people liked about Power Girl</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Williams clearly wanted to redefine who the character was for a modern audience so we no longer see the friendship she built over the years with Atlee/Terra or even Harley Quinn (the latter is kinda surprising considering her appearance would boost sales) and instead forced the character of Omen/Lilith as PG's new best friend while also including the new powers the heroine developed in Lazarus Planet (already not a good sign).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And you know what? This wouldn't have been so bad if only I would still recognize the character of Power Girl as Power Girl. Let's start with the name itself, the protagonist is no longer Karen Starr because apparently Williams pays too much attention to what other people would think and since "Karen" now has a negative connotation she decided to gave her the new name of "Paige" because it sounds like "PeeGee" as Jon Kent proposed (and oh God, I'm going to talk about him in a bit) and this is this is pretty stupid in and of itself because if you know something about Power Girl is that she wouldn't give a damn about what other people think about her name and actually would wear it as a badge of honor. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">That leads me to my second point, the character is simply not the same. PG was an extremely endearing superheroine who could be pretty tough when needed and very competent but didn't take herself seriously at the same time. The character Williams writes about is just an insecure girl who somehow regressed a lot in her development, is almost like she just arrived to Earth basically ignoring all the years she spent there (and of course you better forget she ever had a company because the writer did as well) and needs the constant help of her new BFF Omen to do the stuff the most basic of human beings should do (and I could say that Lilith is out of character as well because she shouldn't be as social).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Finally and most importantly, that summary might make you realize something, Leah Williams is not writing about Power Girl, she's writing about <b>Supergirl</b>. Except this is somehow an even more immature version of Supergirl and this is especially obvious because Williams had the bright idea to put them together and making PG show a weird jealousy towards her because she's the "true" Supergirl, making the regression even more blatant.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, what can DC do next? I guess they can completely forget that this ever happened and simply call this character "Paige" and eventually ignore it (since they have done that quite a few times over the years anyway) because that's the only solution I can see. This is basically the "Ric Grayson" era for Power Girl except that at least you can guarantee that Dick Grayson/Nightwing will always have a new book being released to correct previous mistakes, Peegee doesn't have such luck.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Well, that was depressing but funnily enough is not the most deplorable book this year.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm going to be perfectly honest here, right from the beginning of this year I knew this book was going to be here just because of a single issue.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Is about a character I really love, from a writer that continues to disappoint and yet believes he can still do a good job at handling him somehow while DC still allows him to.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Except that this time such writer surprises me because of how badly he can get.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Say hello to the usual suspect:</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Tom Taylor's Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90Vio6ySsURuhz7euih7_Zwl44w_w3LizJ878GWQA9FSg7qBAOLG2eonsQ_C0l51diD3hCUjaGtzf5Jz-urr7ghAVEF5zvTdylCIFwqIRtKd-kgiG9ut-HtZGr5H8P5AcgNrFXZjaaA5yTm90Mtyr21WP5PcQ3TkspmqRdlJnGbkSbO1l91pdvj10_8HY/s1515/Adventures%20of%20Superman%20-%20Jon%20Kent%20006%20(2023)%20(Webrip)%20(The%20Last%20Kryptonian-DCP)%20(HD-Upscaled)-016.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1355" data-original-width="1515" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90Vio6ySsURuhz7euih7_Zwl44w_w3LizJ878GWQA9FSg7qBAOLG2eonsQ_C0l51diD3hCUjaGtzf5Jz-urr7ghAVEF5zvTdylCIFwqIRtKd-kgiG9ut-HtZGr5H8P5AcgNrFXZjaaA5yTm90Mtyr21WP5PcQ3TkspmqRdlJnGbkSbO1l91pdvj10_8HY/s320/Adventures%20of%20Superman%20-%20Jon%20Kent%20006%20(2023)%20(Webrip)%20(The%20Last%20Kryptonian-DCP)%20(HD-Upscaled)-016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Tom Taylor being both at the bottom and at the top among the worst, is almost poetic.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I think I've expressed my love for the character of Jon Kent over the years and constantly lamented his treatment since Brian Bendis enter the scene and basically regressed and ruined his development by ironically aging him up.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Things didn't go well even after Bendis left since other writers were forced to follow the direction that Bendis created but my God, why did it have to be Tom Taylor the one who did the most of it?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As you might remember, last year Taylor's Superman: Son of Kal-El also appeared in this list because of its terrible treatment of Jon due that Taylor had the belief that to write a character like Jon he needed to make him as dull as possible. I don't know if this was to make the basic political speeches that Taylor was injecting into the series go easier or maybe because the revelation of Jon's Bisexuality meant that we couldn't have him even remotely unlikable (or portrayed as a human being) but at the end, bland as a cardboard is what we got and a story as interesting as that to make things even better.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, who in the right mind thought it was the right move to give another chance to the man who did that?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Probably the same who thought it was okay for Bendis to keep writing Jon after he ruined him during his first Superman miniseries all right but still why did even Taylor agreed to do this?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And I actually know the answer for that and is as Tom Taylor as it gets.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">You see, just like many, <i>many</i> of the other books that Taylor has written since his arrival at DC Comics, this is not really a story about the supposed protagonist. Oh no, this is a story pretty much about every pet character that Taylor has.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This should have been obvious right from the first issues due to the arrival of characters from Taylor's infamous New 52 Earth 2 run and what? You thought that would mean that we would see the New 52 versions of Alan Scott, Jay Garrick or Kendra Saunders? Characters who Taylor couldn't even bother to write about the first time? Hah! Please, this of course means that we would see the return of Taylor's odd-fitting creations like Red Tornado Lois Lane and (to make things more insufferable to me), Captain Cardboard himself, Val-Zod (but hey, if there's something positive here is that with his arrival Jon wouldn't be the blandest character).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, there was still some hope here. It seemed like Taylor was going to explore important aspects that Bendis simply ignored like the traumatic years Jon spent alongside Ultraman and obviously the key word is "seemed" because that promise ended as abruptly as it started with Jon not really solving anything and *sigh* the Superman from the Injustice universe appearing, quickly killing Ultraman and the story suddenly and entirely centering around him, basically betraying what could have made people interested in this book in the first place.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As you can figure out by now, this is nothing but a Trojan Horse for the Injustice characters to appear once again. Taylor is very familiar with them, after all, such universe was what gave him some sort of popularity but really, was this the right place to do that? If people wanted to read a goddamn Injustice comic they would read a goddamn Injustice comic! They were already enough of them and is not like DC was going to stop releasing them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And the latter is especially true because this poor excuse of a plot is nothing but a set-up for a new Injustice comic that is going to happen in the future (or is currently happening, I don't know because I couldn't care less about it). Jon was just included into this story because I guess Taylor thought it could be interesting to see him interacting with his corrupted Superman but ultimately is just an underwhelming product due that Jon is still as bland as ever and Taylor has the Brian Bendis belief that hugs solve everything and automatically make a story more charming (Seriously, stop overusing that, save it for just a few moments).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Are you asking about what happened to Jon too? Well, at the end he is, repeat once again, <i>forced</i> into Taylor's Beast World event because he just needs to connect all of his bad stories together and can't let characters alone.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If there's another thing that this series made me realize is that Taylor can be very, VERY bad at writing dialogue. Sure, we all know that he forces internet language and memes along with shallow political commentary into his narration up to cringe levels but good God, that "I remove her wings making Hawkgirl, just... girl, I guess" will forever haunt me as one of the worst lines that I've read and that doesn't have anything to do with his usual faults, he's just inventing new ones now.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Surely you can understand by now why this is my least favorite comic this year right? Is the one that made me the angriest. Once again, I fell for Taylor's promises and he even abused his own classic flaws to the point that this almost feels like a parody of Taylor's works.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But worst of all, this showed me that Taylor is not getting better, he's not even being consistent, he's just getting worse.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">If at one point I thought he had potential, that he could be a very good writer if he only actually tried, this demonstrated me that there's no hope on him. He's going to keep going for the laziest way possible and do whatever he can to get away with it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And isn't that one of the worst things you can hear in a year?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Well folks, that was my Top Ten Worst DC Comics of 2023 list and you better expect the Top Ten Best DC Comics of 2023 list very soon and trust me, there's a lot of love there to compensate.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">See you then.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-65397068486565922172023-12-10T08:55:00.000-08:002023-12-10T08:55:44.222-08:00Some thoughts about Transformers #3<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFk0T6LEnCIhKuve4eK7JtSeLa_COXovKHktmmaf1BK_PcCxWX_t9RAq60qpi0tuQdkHpBO3qc0_VdEDzlMaSL3yqH0Tq3GeHcxVp2Lr-d7VKU5_sdcVg4Kgx18CfLRCB-v6NQjnhyphenhyphenKqXO2W-anoOlQgKUwq6wNO4bEcFYpFfwkRAO2-ki1uGtolIBy5_K/s1920/TF3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1249" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFk0T6LEnCIhKuve4eK7JtSeLa_COXovKHktmmaf1BK_PcCxWX_t9RAq60qpi0tuQdkHpBO3qc0_VdEDzlMaSL3yqH0Tq3GeHcxVp2Lr-d7VKU5_sdcVg4Kgx18CfLRCB-v6NQjnhyphenhyphenKqXO2W-anoOlQgKUwq6wNO4bEcFYpFfwkRAO2-ki1uGtolIBy5_K/s320/TF3.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Can humans trust Cybertronians?<p></p><p>Spike's father is trying to fight the recently arrived aliens who killed one of his friends but he will realize too late that he needs to trust some of them.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>This continues to be a solidly crafted book.</p><p>Daniel Warren Johnson delivers a new chapter where this time he focuses heavily on the dynamic between the characters. The them of this issue is centered around the desperation that humans feel after the attack of the Decepticons and how they see every of those alien robots as their enemy which is logical despite that Johnson pushes this angle a bit to the point that Sparky and the others seem unreasonable to the point they cause more harm than anything but fortunately, this all comes together at the end when Sparky is forced to believe in Optimus and the rest.</p><p>One of the strongest aspects here is how weirdly "human" all the characters seem but not in the style that James Roberts did during his later work in IDW in which each of his character was forced to tell joke. Johnson's characters feel human in the sense of the powerful emotions they all demonstrate being either fear, empathy or love which is something very rare in a Transformers comic. Is great to see the development of the characters like how Cliffjumper starts to ignore his fear for humans and other characters continue a similar progression.</p><p>Johnson's artwork is amazing in every single action scene, they are all fluid, kinetic and detailed, even the personal moments are clearly depicted.</p><p>Great read, can't wait for the next one.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-39841913465919294762023-12-05T13:53:00.000-08:002023-12-05T13:53:53.180-08:00Some thoughts about Shazam #6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihuvl79dlx5-VYKapB45jG_zZRDLt0E679V-1u5vGsOJlONZE5nimhQccWkFoF8WxdlsLGp2OMNbIbLvH0x9Do3rh1NeC5swzJ7hL1peKMprRjHl1SQfxa2jcFwX0Iq_3PXsyJkz94D8p2n0m4dvWltVAlN1zS9gVACm3zyUJ19wV2V0e1BimclgXEB4ix/s1920/SH5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihuvl79dlx5-VYKapB45jG_zZRDLt0E679V-1u5vGsOJlONZE5nimhQccWkFoF8WxdlsLGp2OMNbIbLvH0x9Do3rh1NeC5swzJ7hL1peKMprRjHl1SQfxa2jcFwX0Iq_3PXsyJkz94D8p2n0m4dvWltVAlN1zS9gVACm3zyUJ19wV2V0e1BimclgXEB4ix/s320/SH5.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />How can Billy Batson reattain the power of Shazam?<div><br /></div><div>Freddy is trying to trick the Gods to give Billy some time but they all will need the help of their whole family if they want to stand a chance against the deities.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>Pretty fun from many angles.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mark Waid concludes this little arc about the Gods in a rather satisfying manner. Once again, the dynamic between the Shazam family is pretty great, it was an interesting twist how Waid played with the cliffhanger from the last issue in a logical manner and it was great to see the rest of Billy's family representing a new Squadron of Justice from the old Fawcett Comics (although I wish characters like Bulleteer and Ibis the Invincible would have gotten an actual appearance). The pacing and humour are both nicely handled as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's a thing I'm a bit more dubious about though, is that Waid is playing with the original idea of how Billy and Captain Marvel are two different people which mind you, does present interesting scenarios as seen in the conclusion of this same conflict but, speaking as someone who grew up with the idea of Shazam having the mentality of a kid, this is still a bit of a letdown but eh, let's see how things go on from here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dan Mora handles the art and is still pretty great thanks to his perfect storytelling and kinetic style.</div><div><br /></div><div>Solid read, hope the next one arrives soon.</div>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-87695345113502299682023-12-05T13:00:00.000-08:002023-12-05T13:00:58.590-08:00Some thoughts about Fire & Ice #4<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQEdlfPu87nt-MsMTw2b-j9cAsM-m24mvSyw3vhCYfPbqulrE516vhCtvH9OT9jXGvD6lzv6fBKn7rq46KMN9AXAaKoj4D__xPxmefoElqIPbD0wnegHcFOhjwtc_VPOdz-AoOuM5luWvlIHPEhRNywK0ok7lT3jru5MIa5t0ZmoZ_JkMxwNydlYp8I6V/s1920/F&4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1249" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQEdlfPu87nt-MsMTw2b-j9cAsM-m24mvSyw3vhCYfPbqulrE516vhCtvH9OT9jXGvD6lzv6fBKn7rq46KMN9AXAaKoj4D__xPxmefoElqIPbD0wnegHcFOhjwtc_VPOdz-AoOuM5luWvlIHPEhRNywK0ok7lT3jru5MIa5t0ZmoZ_JkMxwNydlYp8I6V/s320/F&4.jpeg" width="208" /></a></div><br />What is happening in Smallville?<p></p><p>Lobo has just arrived to make the lives of Fire and Ice even more complicated and things are not going to get any easier once that people in the town start to get more violent.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Better than the last issue at the very least.</p><p>Joanne Starer offers a new chapter where she tries to fix the relationship between Bea and Tora while making everyone around them a little worse. Once again, I do dig the characterization, especially the dynamic between the protagonists since they still seem on-point for the most part and is good to know that despite of their differences, they still try to maintain their friendship.</p><p>The plot is still not amazing since it continues to revolve around the D-list supervillains and while Lobo makes things a bit more interesting, is still not enough to make me invested in the story. About the rest of the cast, I still dislike everytime the new employee appears (and I couldn't care less about her relationship) and is weird that Rocky started to develop a really toxic personality (and yes, this is probably the closest we're getting to a love triangle involving Fire and Ice so far).</p><p>Natacha Bustos' art is still perfect for this book since the semi-cartoony style gets the best from every character's expressions.</p><p>Fine issue, hope things keep improving.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-76183961308677716702023-11-28T08:46:00.000-08:002023-11-28T08:46:22.438-08:00Some thoughts about Green Arrow #6<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBU4UwdBuhhrgDqViCaSKkd8OZ19m17MEbTmEmGVg2bBTmg1ENa_lJhHQbkt1yfPRwwX-WZxUmYFX4kOHw025iv19iS7Lk1j-aCf61k9x-5MUT418B_TMqdRC3f5Ifx7Ni6um7OJXCcu9dFZ90SisdOSEuupZ-lBHziJCmc2ZzBgdgSLteD44EcH-qdhln/s1920/GA6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBU4UwdBuhhrgDqViCaSKkd8OZ19m17MEbTmEmGVg2bBTmg1ENa_lJhHQbkt1yfPRwwX-WZxUmYFX4kOHw025iv19iS7Lk1j-aCf61k9x-5MUT418B_TMqdRC3f5Ifx7Ni6um7OJXCcu9dFZ90SisdOSEuupZ-lBHziJCmc2ZzBgdgSLteD44EcH-qdhln/s320/GA6.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Who is trying to keep the Green Arrow family apart?<p></p><p>Ollie has been lost in different timelines and realities and all of this because someone just wants to make him suffer and is about time he realizes what is truly important in his life.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Okay, this was a decent enough chapter despite that is not what I consider ideal.</p><p>Joshua Williamson basically brings an end to this opening arc about Ollie being lost and it makes sense that it concludes here since this was initially just a 6 issues miniseries that got extended. Once again, Williamson shows that at the very least gets the basics of the character of Green Arrow despite of my initial fears that he was going to easily redeem Ollie of all of his mistakes by blaming a supervillain for them, there's a sort of redemption and a villain involved all right but ultimately Oliver still needs to confront his own responsibility about his actions which leads to a more satisfying and genuine development.</p><p>However, I still find some issues with like the fact that the villain who has been manipulating Ollie all this time was, well, <i>Merlyn</i>. Not a huge surprise here since he's Green Arrow's nemesis by now but on the other hand, Merlyn's motivations are fairly poor and doesn't make him a more interesting character by himself (not to mention that continuity is so messy right now that I'm not sure if he's still Malcolm Merlyn or someone else). Plus, while the closure Ollie got about his actions feels logical, I still feel like it went a bit too easy and there should be more exploration about it.</p><p>Sean Izaakse and Trevor Hairsine do a pretty good job during their section in terms of artwork but is just a joy to see Phil Hester back in Green Arrow, depicting many classic scenes and characters perfectly.</p><p>Fine read, let's see how things go next.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-63538398726586094252023-11-21T15:01:00.000-08:002023-11-21T15:01:12.391-08:00Some thoughts about World's Finest #21<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rmFFOUrLCRnlpWQPzYVeJm9vVBuKDsy-yY5oMB2TJtSINk1o9-AqI_6IBK0C_GcXG0_1-LB9TlTDAMgkyUDnIJ5BcSZojCC_bEBIdbElSx-nTgrbrbWbvogdFwUQ9Ms7HYJ-XsrlVyg308oM34FiJHOXLS1PSIv-jyWYz53WN6rdJXJlU4TSFt1l5Tf6/s1920/WF21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rmFFOUrLCRnlpWQPzYVeJm9vVBuKDsy-yY5oMB2TJtSINk1o9-AqI_6IBK0C_GcXG0_1-LB9TlTDAMgkyUDnIJ5BcSZojCC_bEBIdbElSx-nTgrbrbWbvogdFwUQ9Ms7HYJ-XsrlVyg308oM34FiJHOXLS1PSIv-jyWYz53WN6rdJXJlU4TSFt1l5Tf6/s320/WF21.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />How can Batman and Superman survive this new world?<p></p><p>David has shown how corrupted he has become to both Clark and Bruce and is willing to manipulate the new allies he made in this different Earth to hide it.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>The return to the Kingdom Come universe continues and is pretty intriguing so far.</p><p>Mark Waid uses this chapter to explore ideas from one of his most famous works. The writer has done solid job at building-up to the man who would eventually became Magog (the character who unleashed all the events in Kingdom Come) from Boy Thunder to Thunderman while also planting the question of why he became evil all of sudden. More interesting though, is that Waid reintroduces Gog of all characters, but is not the same Gog Waid himself created during his Kingdom Come sequel, The Kingdom (who was basically a copy of Magog with a different motivation), but instead is the one that Geoff Johns created during his Justice Society of America work who has the power of a deity, I like how Waid is implementing concepts that overall were better than the ones he invented.</p><p>If there's a complaint here is that I feel like the fights between the Supermen and Batmen feels a little forced. Sure, David is lying to make the people he met fight but still, a lot of this seems like filler and is not particularly interesting aside from a few solid character moments (and I feel like the main Superman acts a little too angry at realizing that his other self from this Earth is not as competent as he should be).</p><p>Dan Mora remains in art duties and his work is still kinetic and powerful, depicting every scene with a lot of detail.</p><p>Good read overall but I hope the next one offers more content.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-51023187937292762962023-11-21T14:11:00.000-08:002023-11-21T14:11:12.581-08:00Some thoughts about Superman #8<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuo3wYR5niPqCQS9KNV_htZ0nxm4btqrx4TfpP4c-IbI71Dg-ReEoja6P4lBHRMp_5xUzvGNvBlVUdzENEhFQwv44XS01q6D6gyapllN9u9LHD6pp97jV38zWuLJNdoaTi2rwqR-6AZITJgKHIHco5KnIO-rPito77Nj1p6OqQBD5h7_cpLJLIKX5m1o8_/s1920/SM8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuo3wYR5niPqCQS9KNV_htZ0nxm4btqrx4TfpP4c-IbI71Dg-ReEoja6P4lBHRMp_5xUzvGNvBlVUdzENEhFQwv44XS01q6D6gyapllN9u9LHD6pp97jV38zWuLJNdoaTi2rwqR-6AZITJgKHIHco5KnIO-rPito77Nj1p6OqQBD5h7_cpLJLIKX5m1o8_/s320/SM8.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Lex Luthor's mistakes are starting to come back at him.<p></p><p>A powerful Metahuman who Lex held as a prisoner is taking his revenge unless Superman risks his own life to save him.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Still as entertaining as ever.</p><p>Joshua Williamson offers a new installment in which he explores the motivations behind the new antagonist. There are the classic flashbacks in which we see the connection between Lex and the Metahuman which interestingly enough, puts a lot of fault on Lex while at the same time not completely painting him as the main villain, I do like how Williamson keeps playing with the idea of if Lex is actually being genuine with his intentions or not.</p><p>There are also many references to continuity like how the abilities of the new villain are related to Conner Kent's powers while the dynamic between the whole cast is on-point. There's an interesting cliffhanger at the end as well.</p><p>Gleb Melnikov, Norm Rapmund, David Baldeon and Jamal Campbell share the pencils and their work is fairly consistent during the read, following the script clearly.</p><p>Good issue, hope the next one arrives soon. </p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-15077708330786367302023-11-21T08:52:00.000-08:002023-11-21T08:52:58.848-08:00Some thoughts about Justice Society of America #7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShIPTL8ibNokUrjJP7tQeG7lTKbKG_bFZj7S8dtWuz-azQnqN8Z-_zoHRbYFi8zcg28ApUOWv0wfMQ0kjNLmtXgpgXR7AreZp33rSZGoU2i2JuSOIjwyhIAmLWCPYqrr1m-PliCZdoCLGASHgfPT6pLYMVxlReXTTeEtRI8FwcLcsoF4RNBVi7IqwN0Fn/s1920/JSA7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShIPTL8ibNokUrjJP7tQeG7lTKbKG_bFZj7S8dtWuz-azQnqN8Z-_zoHRbYFi8zcg28ApUOWv0wfMQ0kjNLmtXgpgXR7AreZp33rSZGoU2i2JuSOIjwyhIAmLWCPYqrr1m-PliCZdoCLGASHgfPT6pLYMVxlReXTTeEtRI8FwcLcsoF4RNBVi7IqwN0Fn/s320/JSA7.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Is the Justice Society of America ready for new members?<div><br /></div><div>Mister Terrific believes there can be second chances even for their former enemies. However, even their new recruits can prove to be too problematic to handle.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>This is pretty much what you can expect from your classic Geoff Johns book.</div><div><br /></div><div>A new chapter arrives and there are many references to continuity which is pretty fitting for this kind of book. Johns doesn't really bother to explain what is still part of DC canon or isn't but still focuses on important moments from history to tell interesting character development like when Icicle helped the JSA or more interestingly, how Jean Loaring is still mentally unstable after the events in Identity Crisis and even her time as the host of Eclipso which of course connects to the ongoing plot.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, I don't feel like the plot itself progressed that much. There character development is there (particularly the conflict between Salem and Khalid) but this doesn't really affect the story which I'm still not sure where is actually going (and this is especially worrying because Johns is supposed to leave the title fairly soon).</div><div><br /></div><div>Marco Santucci handles the art and is pretty solid with expressive characters and precise storytelling.</div><div><br /></div><div>Decent read but I wish there was more content overall.</div>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-85765977321305300792023-11-14T14:58:00.000-08:002023-11-14T14:58:42.548-08:00Some thoughts about World's Finest: Teen Titans #5<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwMz1YWxNlmDSGzlZsiIxhmBPbF3T1ZWbJ3CReBGwieYA-xBTpAdVbpeQw0KR4S0E8_V4JNZHFXNNNMJYQPZYYraYQ40BqEfwmdjZHvQ6m30DP8fR8Lm6LQfw5xOhGcYfdTokkbrHpqQlay9Gn2alNJCHrNMT0kXIALsbCT3NRk0K74ko4xZbZrU_62LU/s1920/WFTT5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwMz1YWxNlmDSGzlZsiIxhmBPbF3T1ZWbJ3CReBGwieYA-xBTpAdVbpeQw0KR4S0E8_V4JNZHFXNNNMJYQPZYYraYQ40BqEfwmdjZHvQ6m30DP8fR8Lm6LQfw5xOhGcYfdTokkbrHpqQlay9Gn2alNJCHrNMT0kXIALsbCT3NRk0K74ko4xZbZrU_62LU/s320/WFTT5.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />The Teen Titans are falling apart.<p></p><p>An old member has become an enemy and his greatest plan is to destroy the team by making them fight with each other. However, Robin will realize if he wants to lead this team he will have to be honest with all of them.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Getting more and more interesting.</p><p>Mark Waid is revealing a few of the plot-points he created since the beginning of this book. The dynamic between the cast is pretty interesting because is focusing on the current conflict that has been building up since the very first issue, I like how Waid hasn't really put all of this problems between the characters up front but they were still part of each chapter and this is where everything finally pays off. The characterization certainly helps to sell this idea since the cast acts exactly as you would expect from them in this situation.</p><p>Speaking of plannification, Waid shows who has been trying to tear the Titans apart and it all works considering the character was part of them at one point. If there's a complaint here though, is that the character himself is rather underwhelming in terms of portrayal and who he actually is, not to mention that the way Robin resolves the problems between the team was rather predictable but still, this all gets the job done.</p><p>Emanuela Lupacchino handles the art and it remains beautiful with appealing character models and perfect storytelling.</p><p>Good read, let's see if the resolution of this arc is satisfying.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-71624014472041403172023-11-14T14:12:00.000-08:002023-11-14T14:12:48.523-08:00Some thoughts about Outsiders #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuvCWbfZeWOIcd774C_TP_RS01qvVH8XC3bku17CIamvfJ1aFOH2JdCPWc3UiobptH4D9FxoyzDBcXXBF5FdHG1tUNBaDWpptETXelbWEaPDCNaOTsjett1Vh3S6CG7-sVffZVop70j-4v_HK0xnT1nbPHXCz5Xqhs6BcJOMQQnZUzfrHLlxvFpkCfJbA/s1920/Out1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuvCWbfZeWOIcd774C_TP_RS01qvVH8XC3bku17CIamvfJ1aFOH2JdCPWc3UiobptH4D9FxoyzDBcXXBF5FdHG1tUNBaDWpptETXelbWEaPDCNaOTsjett1Vh3S6CG7-sVffZVop70j-4v_HK0xnT1nbPHXCz5Xqhs6BcJOMQQnZUzfrHLlxvFpkCfJbA/s320/Out1.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Can the Outsiders have a new direction?<div><br /></div><div>Batwoman is tired of the constant wars in Gotham City and Luke Fox is planning to give her an idea about what to do next and this could take them to a brand new multiversal adventure.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>A new reboot on the classic Batman spinoff team is here. The Outsiders have taken several incarnations over the years and funnily enough, I think the ones that work the best are the ones that are not as focused on Batman and apparently Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly have the same mentality since they are implementing ideas that you wouldn't really expect from a Batman book.</div><div><br /></div><div>First of all, I have to say that the team of Lanzing and Kelly have improved their craft over the years, their early works at DC used to be really overwritten but thankfully their current narration is much more natural and goes straight to the point, particularly for the concepts they're using and there are a lot of them. Second, is cool that they're referencing the overused "war" crossovers that happen in Batbooks and you could interpret as a metacommentary about how they want to stay away from them. Third, is also interesting that despite of things being different, they are also referencing stuff like the dynamic between Kate and Luke since they used to be part of a team before.</div><div><br /></div><div>Most importantly is the direction of the book. Right away with the introduction of a Wildstorm character like Drummer, you understand that this book is going for a more high concept route and this is certainly what it does since there are many elements about the Multiverse being implemented here, is mostly a set-up but it gets the job done to make you realize what is the mission of this new incarnation of the team, in fact they blatantly state it at the end which addresses one of the classic Wildstorm stories.</div><div><br /></div><div>Robert Carey's artwork is detailed and the storytelling is precise, depicting the classic Multiverse aspects perfectly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Solid beginning, let's see if thing continue this way.</div>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-51522957870011772782023-11-14T12:31:00.000-08:002023-11-14T12:34:36.457-08:00Some thoughts about Speed Force #1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRp2moGMUy39OnwM_1fdesXLgkFyWlxj1YmClCB7BYb8hyphenhyphenWDMl6K3HGABhV-VP9VGRxIOEJW9ZavVO_hygtL7UyC9ix99pbHDkOCuQrdjFzsUkO-GaI-4PTzszmf9jAJ3VN5iozjmlNt3H64ZgJU9D-CH0JgdtjuTZZO7LTp6H4s1-qvpIzhNE-Posw6bd/s1920/SF1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRp2moGMUy39OnwM_1fdesXLgkFyWlxj1YmClCB7BYb8hyphenhyphenWDMl6K3HGABhV-VP9VGRxIOEJW9ZavVO_hygtL7UyC9ix99pbHDkOCuQrdjFzsUkO-GaI-4PTzszmf9jAJ3VN5iozjmlNt3H64ZgJU9D-CH0JgdtjuTZZO7LTp6H4s1-qvpIzhNE-Posw6bd/s320/SF1.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Can the youngest Speedsters prove themselves?<p></p><p>Wallace and Avery have just found out that scientists have been disappearing and this might have something to do with the strange behavior of a couple young superheroes.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>First of all, is great to see an idea that was forgotten for so long is finally reappearing. For those who don't know, a Speed Force book has been teased for more than a decade ago way back at the beginning of Geoff Johns' second Flash run but unfortunately, the constant continuity and editorial changes at DC didn't let those plans come to fruition. Fortunately, The Flash franchise is at a healthy stage right now so they are allowed to exploit such popularity with a few of the characters who have been created over the years and personally I'm glad that both Wallace West and Avery Ho have been chosen as the protagonists since they have proven to be entertaining characters and they have been missing in other books for a while.</p><p>UNFORTUNATELY, I have to say that I wish they starred in a better written book because this leaves a lot to be desired so far.</p><p>Let's start with the positives, which are not many sadly. First of all, I already mentioned that I like that Wallace and Avery are here so that's good in and of itself but is great to see other young heroes like Roundhouse (who didn't have the best appearances since the end of Adam Glass' Teen Titans) and we even see others like Mas y Menos who I guess have some potential.</p><p>Yep, character appearances are pretty much where the positives end since there are many flaws in the writing itself. Let's talk about the dialogue first, is just bad, like <b>really</b> bad, it seems like Jarret Williams is trying very, <i>very</i> hard to make both Wallace and Avery sound like kids but he only achieves to deliver some of the cringiest lines I have seen recently, is just such a forced "young" dialogue that it seems extremely unnatural.</p><p>Oh, but if you think that's only a me problem then think again because the bad dialogue is not only from a young perspective but also from trying to write other languages. Williams sadly commits the mistake that many writers make by believing they can write Spanish dialogue just by using Google Translate and so every scene in which Mas y Menos appear there are a bunch of nonsensical lines that barely resemble their actual meaning in Spanish (and is even worse considering that Avery supposedly got the ability to properly speak Spanish).</p><p>About the story, it moves at a rather erratic pace and the plot itself is not that interesting since there's very little to catch your attention and it only limits itself to add characters from the DC cartoons to add some variety.</p><p>Daniele Di Nicuolo's artwork can be energetic at least although the style itself can look a little rough at times.</p><p>Overall, I can't recommend this and is a damn shame honestly.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890343608752495841.post-66212918995415505942023-11-11T17:13:00.001-08:002023-11-11T17:13:57.145-08:00Some thoughts about Transformers #2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmqsKiYxuxYuiTwvy11aqiuG-SzNPPRjbgJmHmj_N5H0eXtVOZO_VABbNmD5qSnWACk6LD2VEAiknuj7v-bNLZNBL6gcb981uBrohQK92Yz6CLGsbQu5gF0VzFWiLJJeLGkeqvW7aAgTv5z4pzAev9eJ4BD-GIZriX7j5doqBfdzt9QNTL01o6y29zjuj/s1920/TF2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1249" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmqsKiYxuxYuiTwvy11aqiuG-SzNPPRjbgJmHmj_N5H0eXtVOZO_VABbNmD5qSnWACk6LD2VEAiknuj7v-bNLZNBL6gcb981uBrohQK92Yz6CLGsbQu5gF0VzFWiLJJeLGkeqvW7aAgTv5z4pzAev9eJ4BD-GIZriX7j5doqBfdzt9QNTL01o6y29zjuj/s320/TF2.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Can Cybertronians live on Earth?<p></p><p>Optimus is just learning how different this planet is from Cybertron but there's no time of peace since Starscream and the Decepticons keep hurting everyone around.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Okay, I absolutely love this by now.</p><p>Daniel Warren Johnson continues his reboot on the franchise by developing more of the current cast and I can say for certain that he definitely gets what makes these characters special. This is especially obvious on his take on Optimus Prime, there's a particular strong scene in which Optimus realizes how fragile the beings on Earth are compared to his race and it makes sense considering he was used to which also gives him a reason to take care of life on the planet, is the type of compassionate and noble portrayal that I feel has been lacking for a while in the character.</p><p>This contrasts powerfully to how Starscream and his army treat people on the planet since they don't care at all about them, in fact a lot of the Decepticons enjoy playing with those weaker than them. The differences between life on Earth and Cybertron are also nicely explored and reflected in how other bots like Cliffjumper react to humans to the point that can be considered some sort of racism.</p><p>The issue was mostly devoted to character work. However, there are interesting plot-points being developed like how the army on Earth tries to deal with the Cybertronian threat and of course, the build-up to the inevitable return of Megatron.</p><p>Johnson's artwork is still precise and detailed, being able to capture every expression and personal moment perfectly while depicting the action in an energetic manner.</p><p>Great read, really hope things continue this way.</p>Comic Obsessedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13093993949785948105noreply@blogger.com0