wktf and Sam Wilson's Comic Reviews, 1/5/06

[Sam Wilson]

Originally Posted by Tetragrammaton

Wasn't Nighthawk always essentially based on Bats.

I mean look at the Squadron Sinsiter;

Nighthawk -> Batman
Hyperion -> Superman
Dr. Spectrum -> Green Lantern
Whizzer -> Wonder Woman

Thanks for trashing Iron Man, Sam. The worst part is I agree with you.

tet, it breaks my heart to trash Iron Man. Ellis is one of my favorite writers, Tony Stark is one of my favorite marvel characters, period. Why Marvel can't get their sh$# together on this title, I have no idea.

[Sam Wilson]

Originally Posted by Crom

Sam, your review has convinced me to go back and read Cap & Falc Vol. 1. I may have been to quick to judge. Perhaps a second reading will help.

Thanks.

Word crom. I can see the issues you had with it.

Like I was saying in the review Priest just has this street crediblity he brings to the writing table I've never seen anywhere else in comics. I mean, his falcon is 100% hood, but it's real, unlike Azzarello's Cage who is 100% BS MTV ghetto. If you haven't read Priest's "The Crew", I'd try and track down the 7 issues of that as well. Now that was DOPE.

[MiamiLoco]

Originally Posted by Sam Wilson

Word crom. I can see the issues you had with it.

Like I was saying in the review Priest just has this street crediblity he brings to the writing table I've never seen anywhere else in comics. I mean, his falcon is 100% hood, but it's real, unlike Azzarello's Cage who is 100% BS MTV ghetto. If you haven't read Priest's "The Crew", I'd try and track down the 7 issues of that as well. Now that was DOPE.

I totally agree with you about Priest, but I really don't think it's fair to talk about how he is able to better represent "hood." Let's go over this for a second

Priest:



Azzarello:



Any questions??!!

[Sam Wilson]

Originally Posted by MiamiLoco

I totally agree with you about Priest, but I really don't think it's fair to talk about how he is able to better represent "hood." Let's go over this for a second

Priest:



Azzarello:



Any questions??!!

You got me there brother...

[wktf]

Wktf’s Reviews

Apologies for the delay in submitting my reviews. My lcs guy’s delivery from Diamond was mislabeled and, so, he didn’t receive his books in time for Thursday. This is the second week in a row this has happened and, needless to say, he’s pretty damn angry. He’s even got his lawyer involved now. Well, best of luck to him. Though I got my books the next day and read them Friday night, weekend family stuff prevented these reviews until Saturday night. Since my Captain America & The Falcon: Secret Empire tpb review has already been posted, so on to the all-DC Comics reviews for the week of 1/5/06!

Day of Vengeance Infinite Crisis Special #1
DC Comics
Written by: Bill Willingham
Drawn by: Justiniano

As we know from the Day of Vengeance mini series, The Spectre had been seduced by a female Eclipso. Most of us seem to forget why The Spectre is the single most powerful entity in the DCU. He is no less than God’s own avenger whose purpose is to inflict His wrath on sinful souls…God’s angel of vengeance, in other words. However, the catch is that he’s forced to bond with mortal souls to manifest his power. We know, therefore, that the primary reason for Spectre’s recent insanity is his lack of a human host without which he loses his compass needed to mete out justice. Jim Corrigan, The Spectre’s host since back in 1940’s More Fun Comics, had gone on to his reward and was replaced by Hal Jordan, a lame Spectre at best. With Hal’s return to life, The Spectre has been adrift and confused, and easily swayed by a female Eclipso as we saw in the wonderful Days of Vengeance mini series wherein The Spectre killes Shazam, one of the Lords of Order and Captain Marvel’s father figure.

In this issue the remaining magical entities, led by Zatanna, orchestrate a mad scramble in Gotham City to both collect the Seven Deadly Sins and reassemble the wizard Shazam’s shattered Rock of Eternity. Who knew this also might lead to a major change in the status of the World’s Mightiest Mortal? But the real battle is going on in parallel. In a show of cosmic symmetry, with Hector Hall’s death, Dr. Fate now is only Nabu, the last and most powerful guardian of the Ninth Age of Magic. But, in a terrific example of irony, Nabu has figured out the only way to defeat The Spectre. And, defeat him he does, by doing the most counterintuitive thing one could imagine: allowing The Spectre to succeed. You see, Nabu has not forgotten The Spectre’s origin and to Whom, ultimately, he must answer. What does Nabu do, and how does he do it? Well, you’ll need to read the book to find out. But the creative team delivers a nearly perfect one-shot story that, I believe, ties directly to…

Gotham Central #39
DC Comics
Written by: Greg Rucka
Drawn by: Kano

This comic is my pick of the week.

I so hate that this comic series is ending. What does it say about us, the comic reading public, that a fine book like this can’t find an audience? Well, the title of this arc is “Corrigan II.” The dirtiest cop in Gotham, a city rife with dirty cops, is someone named Jim Corrigan…same name as The Spectre’s first human host (see my first review, above). And, as we saw last issue, Corrigan put several rounds into one of the few clean cops in Gotham, Crispus Allen, partner of Renee Montoya. Allen’s dead. His wife and two sons, along with Montoya and much of the GCPD are stunned. But not too stunned to execute some rapid fire detective work and come up with their man. But the problem is, Corrigan’s hiding in plain sight. He’s making his rounds. He’s smiling, even as he’s being led into the precinct. What the hell’s going on here? Montoya knows something’s wrong. She just doesn’t know what it is. And it’s killing me, too. I am so hooked on this story, so angry at Allen’s death, so disgusted with Corrigan that it’s agony waiting 30 more days for the conclusion.

The real power in this book is the absolutely raw emotions felt by Montoya, Allens’ wife, and the other good cops of Gotham. It’s just devastating. And coupling it with Corrigan’s ****y smile, a smile you just want to wipe off his face, and all the bile in your belly just comes to the surface. But, the question I’m hoping will be answered in the next and final issue of this series is: as The Spectre is now being forced into his new “inadequate and temporary” (to quote Nabu from the Day of Vengeance Special) host, will the fate (pun intended) of Gotham Central’s Corrigan be linked to The Spectre’s? And will justice actually be served in a city so corrupt that even The Batman can’t fully tip the scales? I don’t know if I’ll get my answers here, in the Infinite Crisis series, or at all. As with Bendis’ “Alias” title, I’m really going to miss this series.

Superman/Shazam: First Thunder #3 of 4
DC Comics
Written by: Judd Winick
Drawn by: Joshua Middleton

Well, this title is the weakest of the three I’m reviewing but it’s still a fun read.

Having forged a newly found friendship over the last two issues, the Big Red S and the Big Red Cheese are now teaming up against Eclipso (See? These three titles do seem to tie together) and a magical being who seems to be a darker mirror image of Captain Marvel. In addition, last issue we learned that Luthor and Dr. Sevana have pooled resources in the hopes of killing their two enemies. Luthor’s emissary, Mr. Spec, has been tailing Marvel and pumping potential informants to learn what he can to bring Captain Marvel down.

The real power of this issue is in Middleton’s art which, at first, I thought was too cartoony. It’s still pretty cartoony, but Captain Marvel begs for that kind of style. If you’re not Alex Ross, making him not seem slightly like a superhero parody is doing the venerable hero a disservice. And the contrasts between Superman and Marvel, from their facial features to their mannerisms to their physiques, is really well handled. This issue also carries enough of high flying, low swooping, face punching action to satisfy readers of a title like this who should expect no less. That said, the last panel also creates a deadly cliff hanger that injects some serious gravity into this story line and may move this classic superhero team up into some new territory with the next issue. All in al, this should result in a really good trade when the final issue wraps up. I’ve been very pleasantly surprised by the series thus far.

[Sam Wilson]

Allen's death was like a bat to the gut last month. Man, I know Rucka and Brubaker said they could keep going w/GCPD till whenever according to the higher ups at DC, I guess they just felt is time to move on. . Better that than the book get stale I guess, but still, damn fine book. I'll miss it as well...

[JR2]

Originally Posted by Tetragrammaton

Wasn't Nighthawk always essentially based on Bats.

I mean look at the Squadron Sinister;

Nighthawk -> Batman
Hyperion -> Superman
Dr. Spectrum -> Green Lantern
Whizzer -> Wonder Woman

Thanks for trashing Iron Man, Sam. The worst part is I agree with you.

I think you mean...

Whizzer -> Flash


and to expand on that with the Squadron Supreme...

Power Princess -> Wonder Woman
Aquarian -> Aquaman
Arcanna -> Zatanna
Nuke -> Firestorm
Blue Eagle -> Hawkman
Lady Lark -> Black Canary
Golden Archer -> Green Arrow

etc.

[wktf]

So, anyone else out there think the Gotham Central "Corrigan II" storyline is going to tie into what's going on in "Day of Vengeance"?