Man of Wood: A Man of Steel Movie Review

Let me preface this review by saying that I encourage everybody to watch the movie for themselves and forge their own opinions.  My opinions are my own, and while I hope that many of your share them, I understand that many others may not.  That said, I don’t see how anybody, comic fan or no, could take much away from this film, poorly written and conceived as I found it.  Before I start digging into my complaints, let’s start with a little bit of praise.

Amy Adams’ turn as Lois Lane was one of the best I’ve seen so far, and a major upgrade from Kate Bosworth in Superman Returns.  Adams was a Lois with some spunk to her, full of open defiance in the face of authority, whether to the military men on assignment in Canada or in the bullpen, facing down Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Perry White (played by Larry Fishburne, in a fine, but mostly forgettable portrayal).  Where Bosworth’s Lois was weak-willed and demure, Adams’ Lane showed a strength and beauty combination that is necessary to transcend the boundaries of “Superman’s Girlfriend,” instead creating a fully realized, three-dimensional character with room for development beyond a relational identity.  Margot Kider’s Lois in the original Superman film franchise showed some (inconsistent) signs of similar traits, but, to this fan, was always surrounded by an air of doe-eyed innocence and mild fear that seemed out of place for a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist.  

The two major “Easter Eggs” in the film were a nice touch.  Look closely at the satellite Zod and Superman crash into when they’re fighting, and you can see a Waynetech logo, creating a sense of shared universe between Batman and Superman, presumably for future use.  And while the lack of a Lex Luthor in a mythos-creating Superman film felt like a poor decision, at least the Lexcorp logo on an oil tanker establishes that Luthor does exist in this new universe, even if he doesn’t make an appearance. 

The young boys that played Clark in the flashbacks deserve at least a cursory shout-out, as they were the only Clark Kent’s in the film that felt genuine in their performance, so thank you to Cooper Limberline and Dylan Sprayberry for their work at reminding us that Clark was raised to have a sense of moral responsibility, duty, and honor; work that, thanks to the script was completely nullified by Henry Cavill’s older Clark.

One final note of praise—the effects looked sufficiently expensive, if not necessarily always appropriate.  Way to at least spend some money polishing this turd, Warner Bros.

Now that I’ve had to resort to backhanded compliments in my praise of the film, let’s get to complaints, shall we?  I’ve broken down my complaints into three categories.  First, I’d like to look at the plot from both a film fan and, separately, a comic fan stance.  Then, I’d like to highlight a few film details that I feel illustrate the lack of respect the production team showed towards the audience.  Finally, a rundown of a few nit-picky items, that in the grand scheme of my review are not really a big deal, will round out my review. 

It is difficult for me to switch hats from comic fan to film fan when it comes to high-profile comic book adaptations, but I feel like it’s worth a go in this case, so bear with me.  Evaluating the plot of this film, I find that there are a handful of holes that trucks would have no trouble driving through, and the underlying messages of the film are unsettling at best.  The most egregious of plot holes comes in the film’s open sequences on Krypton, in the poorly conceived dialogue between Jor-El, Superman’s father, and the film’s main villain, General Zod.  What the audience witnesses in these scenes are two men who have come up with plans for their planet’s survival in the face of imminent doom, two plans which seemingly hinge on this mysterious codex that holds the key to Kryptonian genetics, however neither man seems willing to disclose said plan to the other.  It would seem that the plans both center around finding a new planet to populate.  Why, if both plans hinge on the same general ideology, are the men at odds?  As the film progresses, the question of how Jor-El intended to propagate the species becomes increasingly ponderous.  Lacking any true explanation of how he planned for survival by sending a single male child to Earth with the genetic codes for future Kryptonians embedded within his cells, the only logical conclusion I can draw is that Jor-El and Zod’s plans only differ in that Zod mentions weeding out some hereditary lines, the lines he believes are at fault for Krypton’s destruction (I’ll come back to this in the comic plot section).  Two men, who are hinted at as having been friends, with the same basic idea, are forced to fight to the death, for what purpose?  The rest of the plot centers on the different actuation of these two plans, without ever revealing Jor-El’s plan in full, leaving the audience with two choices: ignore and disregard that the center does not hold in favor of blind acquiescence to the production team’s vision, or sit through a nearly 2 ½ hour film extremely confused, and at least in my case, moderately pissed off.

If you stand with me to this point and accept that the premise of the film is flawed from the jump, then follow me a little deeper into investigating what message this film is conveying (and major kudos to my wonderful wife, Bailey White, for making this section possible by pointing out some of the critical details).  We truly meet Clark for the first time as an adult, glossing over the oft-told origin story of how a young alien child comes to be raised by a childless farmer couple in Smallville, Kansas to become Earth’s mightiest superhero.  Instead, we are treated to snippets of flashback sequences showing a variety of traumatic experiences in Clark’s life that lead to a 33-year-old Clark living in isolation, fighting to hide his true abilities from the world at large.  Through these flashbacks, reinforced over and over again by Jonathan “Pa” Kent, is the notion that Clark must hide his talents under a bushel for his own safety, fears that he will not be accepted by the world if he shows anybody how different he is.  In Pa’s death scene, Pa is so vehement about his belief that Clark should hide for his own safety that he would rather die himself than allow Clark to risk the potential of somebody finding out.  In an era of world history marked decidedly by equality movements, the message I found underlying the entire film was how dangerous it is to be different—that if you are different, it’s best to not let anybody else know.  Keep to yourself.  Hide.  Get back into that closet.  They will hate you.  

By itself, this message is exceptionally regressive, but consider as well the Biblical Christ parallels between Jesus and Clark, and the message begins to turn into something more.  While the Christ parallel has always been present in the Superman mythos, never before have I seen it be used as such a central thematic in the story that the stories become inseparable.  Both Clark and Christ’s narratives move from infant birth to adulthood (both aged 33) with very little information on the years in-between.  The conscious effort by the screen-writer David Goyer to inform the audience of Clark’s age seems indicative of the importance between the two narratives.  When both Christ and Clark reach 33 years of age, they begin on their messianic missions.  Both men surrender themselves without struggle to be turned over to those who wish to kill them.  Where the two differ (other than the fact that one is killed and the other is not) lies in the fact that leading up to his condemnation, Christ performed his miracles in the light of day, where others could see, while Clark attempted his miracles in the shadows, hoping to not be noticed.  Moving back to what I see as the central undercurrent of hiding difference, I cannot help but consider whether this critical difference points to an indictment on Clark or Christ.  I’m sure I’ll spend a fair amount of time thinking about this point over the next few years, and some of these ideas are only vaguely sketched out, but if nothing else, it is simply one more strand of the plot to consider when critiquing this movie.

Now on to the fun part, where I get to discuss why as a comic fan, I spiraled into a full-on nerd rage during this movie!  I keep coming back to the phrase “change for change’s sake.”  Krypton is destroyed when its dying sun explodes.  This is a story so embedded in Americana that few are unaware of at least the vague story, whether they read comic books or not.  What purpose is served in the film by making the planet explode because the Kryptonians have destabilized the core through mining?  It may seem like a minor detail, but it is a detail that foreshadows changes to be made for no other reason than to change them.  The lack of a Jimmy Olsen (god help me if that intern Jenny turns out to be Jenny Olsen), Clark’s series of odd-jobs rather than working at the Daily Planet, the Fortress of Solitude being replaced by an ancient Kryptonian scout ship, the substitution of Kryptonite for the difference in Krypton and Earth’s atmospheres, and numerous other changes simply serve no purpose in the plot other than to make it different from previous film and TV plots.  With each change, the fan audience is further alienated from the film, and while I realize that We the Fans are not the target audience, what is there to be gained by ignoring us completely?  

As for making the primary villain General Zod, I admit that I have been wary of this decision since the news first came out.  I can understand the team’s decision to not make another version of the same old Lex Luthor story, but part of what made Superman II work was the fact that the audience had seen Superman triumph against a foe before, only to now be challenged by somebody on the same level as him from a sheer power standpoint.  By first establishing supremacy and then challenging it, the story is simply more dynamic.  It didn’t have to be Luthor; Superman has fought countless enemies in his comics over the past 75 years.  Pick one.  Parasite?  Lobo?  Metallo?  Brainiac?  Maybe you make a film without a true supervillain, like the early Superman stories, where Clark is forced to take on corruption.  Something he can’t simply punch his way through.  If the goal was to make a relevant Superman movie that appealed to adults, why not have him take on issues we face today as a global society?  As for Michael Shannon as Zod, I must say I expected better.  I like Shannon as an actor, but his Zod seemed over the top, a maniac, and out of control.  To me, Zod is a character that is meant to be cold and calculating.  As with many Superman villains over the years, Zod believes that what he is doing, he is doing because it is right and just and for the good of his people.  It is logical.  And while there is always an element of revenge in his motives, it never seems (to me at least) to be his driving force.  So to recap, I think he was the wrong villain, at the wrong time, and wrongly portrayed. 

***Spoiler Alert***

Because of this maniacal version of Zod, the plot seemed forced in a direction where Superman would have no choice but to kill Zod, in this case by snapping his neck to prevent Zod from killing a handful of people “trapped” in a corner.  Let’s gloss over the fact that Zod couldn’t move his head to use his heat vision on the people in the corner, and the fact that a corner, by definition, has two ways in and out, so those people could have just, I don’t know, walked away.  Let’s instead focus on the fact that Superman, as a character in general, operates on a moral code based on “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” and because of this moral code, he does not kill his enemies, but instead delivers them to be tried for their crimes.  Once this concept becomes abandoned, the character ceases to be Superman.  Even in the instances where he has killed enemies, never in my recollection has that been the result of a conscious effort to kill them, but rather the occasional accident or happenstance.  We saw in the Nolan Batman Trilogy several of Batman’s villains die, but never because Bruce killed them.  Rather, he failed to save them.  On the spot execution is not, and has never been, the American Way.  It has happened, of course, but it is never encouraged in ideology.  In Man of Steel, we as the audience have lost a superhero, and instead gained a vigilante.  If Superman has indeed become judge, jury, and executioner, I find myself terrified for what the next film could bring. 

 

I think that might have been the only potential spoiler in the film.  We all know the rest, right?  Superman wins, he gets the girl, he goes on his way.  So let’s talk a little bit about how stupid the filmmakers think we, the audience, are.  I am willing to suspend disbelief enough to accept that a man can fly, but even I have my limits.  The physics in this movie are appalling, and two distinct moments stand out above all else.  First, why on Earth would Superman have contrails when he flies?  In case you aren’t aware, contrails are the trails you see coming off jet wings in the air, and are usually the result of water vapor caused by the jet’s engines.  Superman is oddly lacking engines, and should also be lacking contrails.  But they look so cool, don’t they?  Nobody in the editing room said that contrails simply don’t make sense?  Nobody at all?  Or did somebody notice and speak up, only to be met by an executive telling them that nobody in the audience will notice?  A minor bitch, I know, but I still feel insulted.  Along the same lines, there is a scene where a singularity (basically a black hole) has been opened, and is clearly pulling everything in the vicinity towards it, as singularities are wont to do.  Except Lois, who is falling away from it.  Concrete rubble on the ground is being lifted towards the singularity, but a 110 pound woman is dense enough to fall?  Are we that stupid?  I’m not.

Speaking of stupid, Captain Farris, United States Air Force (which means she has a college degree, mind you), asks what terraforming is in a briefing room.  She knows, but because the audience is too stupid to piece it together, the kind Mr. Goyer went ahead and wrote it into the script.  I’d like to believe that even if the word was foreign to the average movie-goer, the context was enough to get the general idea, but maybe I’m wrong.  And on the topic of the military in the film, why didn’t anybody grab a parachute (or an airsave, as Bailey assures me they not only have, but would have handy) when the door of the C-17 was opened up?  It wasn’t opened by accident, where they didn’t have time to prepare—no, they opened it themselves, apparently unconcerned with the fear of falling out of the damn plane and falling to their doom.  Oh, and apparently, when aliens land, there will be no efforts to evacuate the surrounding area, so you had best make your own plans to get the hell out of Dodge.  It is not recommended to behave like the Metropolis citizens and simply stand in the street, slack-jawed and mouth-breathing, while buildings start falling around you.

I realize this rant has run a little longer than I intended, but stay with me for just a couple of last notes. 

 

-         - Colonel Nathan Hardy uses the call-sign “Guardian” on his plane.  There is a character in the comics named Guardian (real name Jim Harper) who lives in Metropolis.  Why not just change the Colonel’s name to Jim Harper and give the comic fans something to talk about at the water-cooler?  Opportunity lost.

-         - If Krypton is a science-based society tens of thousands of years more advanced than Earth, why did their tech look so ugly and inefficient?  And on that note, I always imagine Krypton to be beautiful, and that was basically the worst environment imaginable.

-          - The Kryptonian’s had those breathing helmets when they were on Earth that could retract to show their face while keeping the environmental protections in place.  The effects team must have been really proud of the retracting effect, because they used it over, and over, and over again.

-         -  The Phantom Zone Projector used to banish Zod and his crew was a much bigger production than I’ve seen in any version of Superman before.  So big, that they were forced to include enough equipment for some brilliant Kryptonian military members to reverse engineer and provide a way out.

-         -  I missed the iconic image of Clark’s ship escaping Krypton in the nick of time.  Instead, it looks like Krypton had a few days to evacuate, with enough time for a trial.  Nobody left but the malcontents.  Not the actions of a highly advanced race.

-          - Who hires a 33-year-old reporter who has no experience or degree in the field?

-          - At the end, we see a child Clark playing in the yard, and clothes-pinning on a red cape, as many of us did as children.  Except we all did it because Superman had a cape.  What was that kid’s motivation?

-          - Pa Kent always dies.  I hate seeing it every time.  It was extra cruel to make Clark watch it too, especially in the efforts to save a dog.  A dog that isn’t saved.  And is later replaced.

-         -  Making the absolutely gorgeous Diane Lane play Ma Kent was rude.  I’ll never be attracted to her again.

-          Why was Pete fat?  He could have been a bully if he was just big.  Are there just no 13-year-old redheaded kids that aren’t fat?  That guy marries Lana Lang in the comics.  Just saying.

-         -  Zod repeatedly says he is doing everything he does for Krypton, but always puts himself first when he says “I and my people” and the like.  Benevolent narcissist?

I could keep going, but I think you all get the point.  In my final evaluation, Man of Steel was a lot like one of those fake coins.  On the surface, it might seem at first to many people to be a valid form of currency, but when you bite into it, it’s just a worthless piece of wood.

The New DC 52 Recap Edition

Well, the first month of the New 52 is finally over, so here is a general rundown of what I’ve seen, having read all 52 issues! Below you’ll find a breakdown of all the grades I’ve doled out over the reviews of all these titles. These grades are exactly what I graded them at when I first reviewed the title, although some should be adjusted based on arguments I’ve heard that have swayed me, so keep an eye out for notes stating that. I want to preserve my original feelings in case my first instincts turn out to be right after all once the books develop a bit.

Overall, I certainly feel the entire event was a success, both from a fan standpoint and also from my limited knowledge on sales. Every issue has gone into a second printing, and hardly any can be bought off the stands here in Hawaii at this point, so if you missed out, thank god for second printings!

The first topic up is character and continuity changes. Most of the character changes that did occur were handled well, but I’m frankly very surprised at how few properties actually underwent much change at all. Nearly 29% of the new books fell into either the Batman or Green Lantern families of titles, neither of which underwent any real noticeable change. In direct counter to that, however, all four Superman family titles changed drastically, discarding large amounts of backstory. I’m not saying that this is all bad, but for Big Blue at least, this is going to take some getting used to. Firestorm, Hawkman and Green Arrow are the characters that seem to be most affected by the re-launch (besides the Superman family) and they were all just slightly above average books, if that (Note: After further review, I think I’d move all three titles down to the C/C+ range). Teen Titans is going to be very interesting to watch develop, as it too has dumped most (if not all) of the backstory, but not necessarily to any sort of detriment so far.

Next up, let’s talk about team books and a minor pet peeve of mine that I didn’t know I had until this event. There were thirteen team books (discounting the Green Lantern titles), and of these, less than half actually managed to assemble the entire team in the first issue, much less introduce all the characters. I’ve said during the reviews, but I’ll say it one more time here: if a character isn’t going to be in the book, don’t put them on the cover. It’s frustrating, particularly for a new title. I understand the desire to create an iconic cover, but I still don’t even know who all the members of the Teen Titans are. I know what they all look like, but don’t have all the names. Are they new characters or new takes on old characters? Time will tell eventually, but for now, some of these left me slightly annoyed

I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this way, but damn were there a lot of surprises with these issues, both good and bad. Demon Knights, Resurrection Man, Batwing and DC Comics Presents weren’t even on my radar and all turned out to be outstand books (Note: I think I rated Batwing too high, and should move it down to A-/B+ territory; the characters damn well better look good, since the artist doesn’t draw backgrounds! On that topic, Animal Man should move up in the rankings to the A-/A range; the art has grown on me). On the flipside of the coin, Detective Comics, Batman: The Dark Knight, Superman, Frankenstein, Grifter and Stormwatch came out much poorer than I had expected (Note: Arguments I’ve heard for Superman have convinced me to move it up a bit into the B grouping). It just goes to show how hard success can be to predict.

Finally, let’s talk about Wildstorm for a moment. I am a very big latter day Wildstorm fan. Pretty much everything from Stormwatch #37 forward really captured my attention. The early days of Wildstorm under Image I tend to not be quite as familiar with, which is why I can’t seem to remember much about Voodoo’s old backstory (Note: Voodoo should be up in the B-/B range after reading it again). With all that in mind, I was incredibly excited about the idea of folding the Wildstorm Universe into the regular DC Universe. Boy was I let down, and let down hard. Voodoo was by far the most successful of the three, and from reading solicits for upcoming issues, it sounds like it is on track to turn into a huge success. Grifter, on the other hand, fell flat on its face. Neither of these came even close to the cellar dwelling Stormwatch, however, and that is the most painful thing I have written during the course of these reviews. I love these characters and I love this concept, but somehow it is being butchered before my eyes, suffering from poor plot development and awful art. I don’t have much in the line of hope for this to improve all that much, but I’ll ride it out for now and keep you all updated (Note: Hawk and Dove's writing really isn't all that bad. I could move it up to a D+/C- range, but that's as far as it goes; I hate Rob Liefeld and the art really colors how I read this book).

That being said, I hope you all enjoyed these reviews and I know that some of you (looking at you, Job!) have even gone out and bought books you wouldn’t have normally picked up because of these. As the first story arcs on some of the titles finish, I’ll put out some updates and see where the books stand (figure around six months from now) and will do periodic reviews of books as events catch my eye. Until next time…

Overall Grade: B+.

A+: Aquaman; Batman; Demon Knights; Resurrection Man; Batwing

A: All-Star Western; The Flash; Catwoman; DC Comics Presents; Wonder Woman; Batwoman; Superboy; Swamp Thing; Batgirl; Action Comics

A-: Justice League Dark; Teen Titans; Legion of Super-Heroes

B+: Birds of Prey; Red Hood and the Outlaws; Green Lantern; Mister Terrific; OMAC; Men of War; Animal Man

B: Green Lantern: The New Guardians; Blue Beetle; Green Lantern Corps; Red Lanterns; Justice League International; Justice League

B-: The Fury of Firestorm; The Savage Hawkman; Nightwing; Batman and Robin; Legion Lost; Suicide Squad; Green Arrow

C+: Superman; Deathstroke

C: Voodoo; Supergirl; Detective Comics

C-: I, Vampire; Static Shock

D+: Grifter

D: Stormwatch

D-: Blackhawks; Captain Atom; Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.

F: Batman: The Dark Knight; Hawk and Dove

The New DC 52 - Week 4

FINALLY DONE!!! This has turned out to be much more work than I realized, so hopefully somebody out there enjoys these.

All-Star Western #1

Creative team: Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Grey (co-writers) and Moritat (pencils)

Story so far: My only complaint about this book is that it is called All-Star Western and it takes place in Gotham City, which is supposed to be on the East Coast. That being said, I love it when these two write together, and never more than on Jonah Hex. This story spins out of Scott Snyder’s Gates of Gotham mini-series from pre-reboot continuity seamlessly. Jonah teams with Doctor Amadeus Arkham to solve a series of murders in Gotham City in a unique Holmes/Watson take on the characters. I imagine after the first story arc we’ll see Jonah back west in a more traditional series, but this setting works oddly well for the character. Grade: A+

Art: Moritat’s art is a perfect complement to the story here. There is a dark and gritty aspect to the title, much in line with the previous Hex solo series. The only complaint here is that the colors are fairly monotone, but it was clearly an attempt to convey an old-time feel, and I can respect that even if it doesn’t hit me in the sweet spot. Grade: A-.

Overall Grade: A. This book will probably be a hard sell for many fans of more conventional comic books, but it is worth a gamble. It will be very interesting to see if this only focuses on Jonah Hex or features solo stories from other western style DC characters in the future.

Aquaman #1

Creative team: Geoff Johns (story) and Ivan Reis (pencils)

Story so far: Aquaman has long been the joke of the Justice League. This may finally be the book that changes all that. There are several scenes in this book that are so well put together I wanted to “slap my momma” as my wife’s Pawpaw says. The first sequence with the King of the Seas shows him busting up a robbery in pure superhero fashion. Here the reader is shown a wide range of abilities from the Big Tuna, including super strength, the ability to leap tall buildings and near bullet-proofing. These are often downplayed aspects of Aquaman’s abilities, but make complete sense if you think about it. If he can withstand the pressures of swimming at the ocean floor, shouldn’t all of this be a no-brainer? After an all-business Arthur Curry saves the day, though, the real fun begins. The cops lament at being upstaged by Aquaman. AC goes to a seafood restaurant he used to go to with his father and endures all the awkwardness of the questions about talking to fish (which is explained in a scene that is sure to have you giggling to yourself). Finally, an uppity blogger (I hate those guys… all full of their self-important opinions!) conducts an interview with our intrepid hero, concluding with the questions “How’s it feel to be a punchline? How’s it feel to be a laughing stock? How’s it feel to be nobody’s favorite super-hero?” There is a lot more to the story in this issue, but you’re going to have to go read it for yourself. There is something about some new threat to the surface world in here, but the real story is Aquaman himself. And it’s a story worth reading. Grade: A+.

Art: With Ivan Reis doing the pencils, we have a legitimate superstar paring on this book, as unlikely as it would seem. Reis is at his finest, so that should speak for itself. If you aren’t familiar with Reis’s work, I feel sorry for you. Check it out. One specific note; Aurthur’s trident (pen-dent?) looks freaking cool. Grade: A+

Overall Grade: A+. Scoff if you will, but this is one of the best books of the bunch. I doubt many people, if any, will not agree.

Batman: The Dark Knight #1

Creative team: David Finch and Paul Jenkins (co-writers) and David Finch (pencils)

Story so far: One-Face? The big reveal at the end of this issue is a hulked out Two-Face proclaiming himself One-Face? Sorry for the “spoiler” here, but I’m doing this for your own good. I love Batman. He’s one of my favorite DC characters. I do not need to read four books featuring Bruce Wayne as Batman, and this is most certainly the loser of the bunch. Add in the fact that Finch is writing as well as drawing, and the added risk that because of this it will have a hard time coming out on schedule, and there is nothing appealing to me about this title. Grade: F.

Art: If you like Finch’s art, be aware that this is far from his best work. If you don’t like his art (and I’m not a big fan) this could be a very painful read for you. Again, because he is pulling double duty, the quality of both aspects seems to have suffered quite a bit. Grade: D-.

Overall Grade: F. I’ll have to go back and check all my other reviews, but this is currently my front runner for least favorite book of the reboot, and that includes a title drawn by Rob Liefeld. This was a huge disappointment, and I recommend just letting it sit on the shelf.

Blackhawks #1

Creative team: Mike Costa (story) and Graham Nolan (pencils)

Story so far: This book was going to be a hard sell from the start, and fails in execution writing-wise on many levels. First off, there are too many new characters for this ensemble cast, with little to no exposition as to who they are and why I should care. They are all members of yet another U.N. team known as the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks mission is… wait. They never said. I don’t know what the point of this book is, which is a fatal flaw when trying to draw readers in without a marquee character. The storytelling feels formulaic of a Hollywood action movie. You know the kind; where there are lots of explosions, some sexy chemistry and no plot. In an effort to explain the group and introduce the characters, there is some suit representing funding for the program being given a tour of the mountain headquarters. Oddly, he doesn’t seem to know anything about the team he is fronting money for. This was sloppy storytelling at its absolute worst. Grade: F.

Art: The art here was mostly not terrible, but very inconsistent. I take serious issue with a covert operation that puts its logo on its helicopter, but not nearly as much issue as the unrealistic zoom function on the smart phone that snatched a photo of it. Sometimes artists just don’t seem to think things through (see Cafu on Grifter) and that makes the story suffer because of it, which this story could not afford. Grade: C-.

Overall Grade: D-. Not the worst book I’ve read from the batch (or even from this week) but definitely close to the bottom. I’ll ride out the first arc, but I can’t see them doing anything amazing that would get me to stick with this book.

The Flash #1

Creative team: Francis Manapul (co-writer and art) and Brian Buccellato (co-writer and colors)

Story so far: There are some major changes in Barry Allen’s life here in the first issue. First off, he is dating Patty Spivot, a character introduced in the most recent Flash series (pre-reboot) and expanded on during Flashpoint’s Kid Flash Lost mini-series. This means Barry is not married to Iris West, which throws the entire Flash family into question. Does Wally West exist? Is he Kid Flash, rather than Bart Allen, Barry and Iris’ grandson from the future? Where does Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash fit into the picture? The actual character traits of Barry have carried over, but into a whole new version of his life. The flashback scenes with Barry’s childhood friend have an almost moralistic feel to them, and will clearly be a driving point in the storytelling here. This was a fun read, and is one of the only books I’ve re-read several times, not because I forgot what happened, but because I just can’t wait for #2! Grade: A+.

Art: Manapul is one of a handful of writer/artists DC is using right now (also Tony Daniel and David Finch). He is unique in that he is the only one that doesn’t let one aspect suffer for the other. The art, and particularly the layouts in this book are nothing short of wonderful. The scene depicting Flash falling from the top of the building, using a cyclone blast to throw the bad guy through the window to break his fall, and then vibrating through the street was a marvel in time lapse art, only rivaled by the page where Barry is at home and working on all aspects of his case in the blink of an eye. The only complaint here is that the colors seem very muted, which is clearly a conscious effort that isn’t working for me. It almost has a water color look to it, like everything is washed out. I may get used to it, or if they hear enough about it, maybe the colorist will just adjust mid-title. Either way, this is certainly not even close to a fatal flaw. Grade: A-.

Overall Grade: A. Maybe it’s just me, but DC certainly seems to have some favorite heroes with this reboot, and Flash is among them, based on the teams they put together for some of the re-launch titles. This book was fantastic, and along with Aquaman and Batman, a must read for comic fans.

The Fury of Firestorm #1

Creative team: Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone (co-writers) and Yildiray Cinar (pencils)

Story so far: Forget everything you know about Firestorm from the pre-reboot continuity. This is an entirely new story, and only the names have been kept to endanger the innocents. I have very mixed feelings on this book. This is a sort of origin story, but one that clearly has large amounts of backstory to it already. Professor Stein is already dead and Ronnie and Jason (both Firestorms in the pre-reboot books, and eventually Firestorm together) have just met. Ronnie appears to already have knowledge of Firestorm, which is a little confusing. Also, there appears to be several other Firestorms out there that perhaps combine to create this villain known as Fury? Whoever these bad guys are trying to get their hands on the Firestorm matrix seem over-the-top Bond villain-esque and the interactions between Ronnie and Jason seem destined for a CW television series. I’m not sure yet how this will play out, but I’m along for the ride… for now. Grade: C.

Art: The art is pretty solid, but a huge letdown after I realized Van Sciver was writing, not drawing. I’m trying really hard not to hold this against Cinar, because his work is pretty good, just not Van Sciver great, which would have gone a long way towards helping this book have a better feel to it. Grade: B.

Overall Grade: B-. I’m giving this book the benefit of the doubt for now because of my respect for Van Sciver and Simone, but something tells me eventually I’ll find myself demanding EVS return to art duties and Simone return to writing female characters.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #1

Creative team: Tony Bedard (story) and Tyler Kirkham (pencils)

Story so far: Kyle is the last of the four Earth Green Lanterns (or three now, while Hal is still out of the Corps) to make an appearance in the New 52. This felt like the most new-reader-friendly of the GL books, but as with the other three titles, it picks up directly after the events of the Green Lantern War. The reader is treated to brief origin story for Mr. Rayner here. Sadly, the writers and editors forgot to put a caption marking these as past events, which was very confusing at first. The driving force behind this plot is that rings from all the other colored Corps have abandoned their owners and fled for Earth to Kyle for an as yet unknown reason. The story is interesting so far, and I’m looking forward to some of the lesser exposed corps getting some face time with the readers. Grade: B.

Art: The art here was pretty good, with the exception of Kyle’s hair. It kept changing from panel to panel, and nobody outside manga has hair like that. It just looked out of place. The pinup of Fatality was very well drawn, but the Red Lantern who lost his ring looked terrible. Other than a few inconsistencies, however, the general style definitely appealed to me. Grade: B.

Overall Grade: B. This was an above average book all around, but certainly not a home run like some of the other titles this month. I’m a big GL fan, so I’ll of course be sticking with it, but if you aren’t a GL fan, this is probably the title to pass on, for now at least.

I, Vampire #1

Creative team: Joshua Hale Fialkov (story) and Andrea Sorrentino (pencils)

Story so far: Since this series has no precedent sent, I’m turning towards my beautiful wife for an expert opinion on trashy vampire lore to help guide me through this review. “I don’t understand what the fuck is happening. Is that good enough? I don’t care about the characters, and I don’t know what’s happening.” She goes on to say that the shape-shifting concept is cool and probably easier to do in comics than in text or movies, but because it isn’t a normal vampire ability, it should have been explained better. Grade: F.

Art: She seems to have liked the art better than I did, although I didn’t have much of a problem with it; it just didn’t strike as a home run. She compared it with Sandman art, which upon further reflection is a very fitting comparison. Grade: A.

Overall Grade: C-. “I would be willing to read two more until the story started to make sense to me, just like I would watch another American Horror Story.” So feel free to give it a chance, folks, but beware that this will not be a universally accepted book and may require a bit of patience.

Justice League Dark #1

Creative team: Peter Milligan (writing) and Mikel Janin (pencils)

Story so far: While this book had a much more distinct Milligan feel to the writing than Red Lanterns did, it officially marks the second time this month his story actually made sense to me, which brings him to a total of two sense making books in my lifetime! The introductions to the characters could have perhaps been handled better for the new readers’ sake, but I have a feeling that will come with time. So far we have Shade, the Changing Man (a Milligan staple), Madame Xanadu, Zatanna, Deadman, June Moone and the Enchantress in this book. Most of these are not characters most readers have really been exposed to and will require some backstory (even I’m not clear on June Moone’s story), but the overall idea of situations that the Justice League isn’t prepared to deal with is intriguing. We get cameos by Superman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg and Batman here; helping to draw a distinct link to the League and why a team needs to be assembled as Superman gets his butt kicked my magical teeth courtesy of the Enchantress. There are a lot of stories that can be told regarding this ragtag group of characters, and I look forward to reading more of this. Grade: A.

Art: There is no way to say this and have it not sound strange: the art on this book is clean and beautiful, and that is probably its biggest flaw. I can’t really bring myself to complain about a dark, Vertigo-esque book with good art, but something about it just doesn’t quite feel right. I do have a distinct feeling that as I read more of this series, my eyes will adjust and it will work out just fine in the end. Grade: B.

Overall Grade: A-. Despite the art not seeming to fit the writing, the book was very enjoyable, and long-time Vertigo fans can rejoice in this title. This book could be a bit esoteric for the average fan, so buyer beware, but maybe consider giving it a shot. You may discover a whole new world of comics to read!

The Savage Hawkman #1

Creative team: Tony Daniel (story) and Philip Tan (pencils)

Story so far: This story starts with Carter Hall, the Hawkman, attempting to turn his back on super-heroics by burning his Nth metal wings (which should have been explained better) and instead catching fire himself and later waking up in his apartment, miraculously alive. Part of the appeal of this character has always been his attitude, which appears to be stripped of the character in this incarnation, at least for now. The aspect of Hall as an archeologist seems to be more important here than in recent years, which I think is a turn for the better for the character in general, but there feels like something is lacking so far. I have a gut feeling that all of this story is just a step on the road to recovery for our favored Justice League rabble-rouser, however, so I’m willing to show some patience here. Having the wings and armor be imbedded in his body for mental recall is an interest gimmick. Grade: B+.

Art: I was a little let down by Tan’s art. I seem to remember loving his work on Uncanny X-Men several years ago, but this had a strangely vague and muddy look to it. The two-page title spread with fire engulfing Hall was really pretty, but the rest of the art felt lacking to me. Grade: C.

Overall Grade: B-. Patience is going to be a must for this book, so if you are lacking in that department, I don’t think it will be the book for you. This really felt more like a preview of the series than a first issue. That isn’t to say it won’t be a good series when it arrives, but it’s running a little slow right now.

Superman #1

Creative team: George Perez (story and cover) and Jesus Merino (pencils)

Story so far: I’ll say right up front that I am not comfortable with the new treatment of Superman yet. I am even less comfortable with his supporting cast. I have great respect for Perez and will certainly stick this out for a bit and see if it grows on me, but so far this is one reboot that isn’t working for me. I got the same uncomfortable feeling seeing Lois opening a door while her boyfriend (not Clark) appears half-naked behind her that one gets when they see an ex with somebody else, and in that regard I suppose mission accomplished with the writing. However, I don’t come to Superman books to be made uncomfortable. I feel like reading Superman titles should be an uplifting experience full of hope and awe. All I saw here was a clumsy and overconfident “hero” screwing up a lot of things in a short amount of time. Clark using an exclusive Superman interview to get on the front page of the Planet also felt… wrong. The only way I can think to sum up this whole book was that it just felt wrong. But maybe that’s ok. It’s a new day for DC, and clearly a new day for Superman. Grade: C-.

Art: The art here was actually pretty good, but not good enough to make me stop wondering how much better it would have been if Perez had done the art instead of the story. Merino is clearly influenced by Perez’s work, and was likely handpicked because of that. Unfortunately, no amount of good art is going to overcome the pitfalls of this weak story. Grade: B-

Overall Grade: C+. For a re-launch of a flagship title like Superman, I expected more from DC. I imagine that Perez was given a title to write because he asked, but Dan DiDio didn’t execute very good judgment by saying yes. As much as I like Perez and all the wonderful contributions he has made to the DC universe over the years, this was a failure despite being an okay book. This book needed to be great.

Teen Titans #1

Creative team: Scott Lobdell (story) and Brett Booth (pencils)

Story so far: This isn’t the first time I’ve had this complaint, but this is the most grievous. Don’t put a character on the cover if you aren’t going to put them in the book! This book featured Wonder Girl (but don’t call her that!), Red Robin (Tim Drake) and Kid Flash. The cover also had Superboy, Ravager (Grant Wilson), a dark, cloud-like character that might be Raven and a spider-looking character who were not featured except on monitors Tim was looking at and the final splash page (for Superboy). Clearly this first arc will be how the team comes together, which appears to be prompted by an organization hunting down young people with powers and abilities, which I think takes away from the original concept of sidekicks banding together. Also, this book appears to be tying in directly to the solo Superboy book, which is also written by Lobdell. The writing was good, but it just left me with too many questions for a first issue. I like most of these characters, though, so I want more, which is a good sign. And Lobdell is almost always a pleasure to read. Grade: B-.

Art: Brett Booth delivers some of his best art to date on this book, which is gorgeous from start to finish. The visuals on the final page for Superboy are amazing, and I really like Wonder Girl’s Donna Troy-like costume. Grade: A+.

Overall Grade: A-. This might be a little high, but what can I say? I really like this creative team together, even if they didn’t give me quite enough story here. This might be a book that doesn’t come together until after the first story arc, but I don’t mind the wait all that much as long as it looks like this.

Voodoo #1

Creative team: Ron Marz (story) and Sami Basri (pencils)

Story so far: This is another instance of Wildstorm characters being introduced to the DCU with no actual references to the rest of the DCU (as was the case with Grifter). Here we see Voodoo as the top stripper in a club being stalked by two “agents” (organization unknown so far) who are aware of her being an alien, although not much else. There are some oddly put together sequences where one of the agents hires her for a private dance and begins calling her out rather bluntly, then flat out says if she doesn’t cooperate she’ll end up being dissected. Suffice it to say this doesn’t go well for him. The plot here is fairly thin and predictable, and certainly gives no concrete sense of where this story is headed, with no main story revealed other than Voodoo is an alien spy. There is a distinct mid-90s feel here, where sex appeal outweighs and sort of story content. Grade: D+.

Art: One thing this book certainly has going for it is the art, perhaps to a fault. When Voodoo is shown in her true form (I assume), the art looks a little forced, but otherwise I had no complaints here. Grade: A.

Overall Grade: C. In my opinion, there is nothing more disappointing than a beautifully drawn book with shoddy story-telling. Perhaps as the story develops this book will turn into something great, but right now it’s a Megan Fox: pretty, but ultimately empty.