Most of the NEW 52 books from DC involves reboots of some sort. Since all of the first issues have appeared and many of the second issues have also landed, I figure I best cut to the chase and do some shorter reviews, covering several titles in one blog.
Hank and Don Hall appeared as the superheroes Hawk and Dove in SHOWCASE #75. The pair fought crime for several years, mostly in the back pages of several DC Comics titles. Don died during the CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS and eventually Hank gained a new partner in the form of Dawn Granger. Hank became the villain Monarch and was responsible for Dawn's "death"(yeah-she came back). Eventually he died and, like her, was resurrected. Now DC has decided to give them their own series again.
Hank and Don Hall appeared as the superheroes Hawk and Dove in SHOWCASE #75. The pair fought crime for several years, mostly in the back pages of several DC Comics titles. Don died during the CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS and eventually Hank gained a new partner in the form of Dawn Granger. Hank became the villain Monarch and was responsible for Dawn's "death"(yeah-she came back). Eventually he died and, like her, was resurrected. Now DC has decided to give them their own series again.
My thoughts: they should have left them in the comics graveyard.
The book begins with a video statement from a known "science terrorist" promising mass destruction and is responsible for hijacking a plane which he plans on using to attack Washington, D.C. This is followed by nine pages of Hawk and Dove battling zombies on the hijacked plane. They defeat the zombies and only minor damage occurs to the Washington monument. Washi Watanabe, a member of the D.C.P.D., meets with the pair to tell them this was the first incident of many.
Later, Hank and his father discuss Hank's life while Dove spends time with her boyfriend, the resurrected Deadman (A.K.A. Boston Brand). We get a recap on the origins of Hank, Don and Dawn as they became the heroes they are/were. Zombies rise up out of swimming pools and then...what the heck is with the Hawk doppelganger?
Awful! Little lines of dialogue. Pages of art. No plot. Engorged crotches. Rob Liefeld.
Yeah...that sums it up. We didn't need this book and I won't be buying it again...not even in the 5 for a dollar box at a show!
BTW: the mysterious hooded woman is over near the swimming pool in the page before the story's end.
In his seven decades of history, Oliver Queen has been a billionaire, lost his fortune, a mayor, a crusader for the poor, mentor to a junkie, a super hero and a anti-hero. Oh yeah-he has also died and been resurrected, dated Black Canary, was a newspaper columnist, fathered a son who succeeded him in the role of the "Emerald Archer" had a partner who was HIV Positive, and watched his city be destroyed and become a home for the "Green".
In his seven decades of history, Oliver Queen has been a billionaire, lost his fortune, a mayor, a crusader for the poor, mentor to a junkie, a super hero and a anti-hero. Oh yeah-he has also died and been resurrected, dated Black Canary, was a newspaper columnist, fathered a son who succeeded him in the role of the "Emerald Archer" had a partner who was HIV Positive, and watched his city be destroyed and become a home for the "Green".
So, with a legacy this long and diverse, DC has decided to revitalize Ollie Queen as part of the NEW 52.
What we get in the first issue is a full length story with a lot of action, very little plot and a much younger, cockier Oliver Queen. He's a spoiled rich kid with high tech armor and a support staff. He defeats the bad guys with guile and some of his special arrows. Unfortunately, I'd much rather watch Haweye do his thing.
Believe it or not, he's got less attitude than this guy.
Totally uninterested in this character. JT Krul's story is okay with his dialogue about what I would expect based on some of his other writings. The highlight here is the pairing of Dan Jurgens and George Perez on the artwork which makes the book look better than it deserves.
Save your money and watch SMALLVILLE. Ollie is about as cocky but the rest of those stories are so much better than this one.
BTW: the mysterious hooded woman is in the first panel of page eight.
Once upon a time, a student named Ronnie Raymond and his professor Martin Stein got merged in a nuclear accident into a nuclear man named Firestorm. Firestorm was killed during IDENTITY CRISIS and replace by the new Firestorm Jason Rusch. Raymond got reborn during BLACKEST NIGHT and merged with Rusch during BRIGHTEST DAY. Confused? Wait until you read the new FURY OF FIRESTORM.
Once upon a time, a student named Ronnie Raymond and his professor Martin Stein got merged in a nuclear accident into a nuclear man named Firestorm. Firestorm was killed during IDENTITY CRISIS and replace by the new Firestorm Jason Rusch. Raymond got reborn during BLACKEST NIGHT and merged with Rusch during BRIGHTEST DAY. Confused? Wait until you read the new FURY OF FIRESTORM.
We start with terrorists killing an entire family in Istanbul. Then we have a coinfronttaion in a locker room between the two guys who make up Firestorm. The terrorists reappear and thrersaten one of Professor Stein's colleagues in serach of the "final rogue protocol", torturing himn for the information. Rusch and Raymond continue to fued and the next thing you now, the terrorists are invading the school. Rusch opens a canister of nuclear material and we now have two Firestorms, with Raymond not knowing what happened. They fight some more and suddenly they are merged into one big Firestorm called Fury.
Co-plotted by Etahn Van Sciver and Gail Simone, but written by Simone, the dialkogue is great but the story is boring. Am I to understand that Rusch knows about the protocol and Raymond doesn't? And Stein is dead and terrorists are after his legacy? And now we have two superheroes that can join into one? Okay, I' comfused and bored. The art by Yildiray Cinar is gorgeous and truly the highlight of the book, in my opinion, But the story has so many bits I don't care about that I just can't get into this book. Sorry guys: you two quality talents who I enjoy reading. Just not this time.
BTW: the mysterious hooded woman is in the second panel three pages from the end of the story.
I liked the old Blue Beetle, you know the one who got killed by Max Lord in the OLD DC continuity. I never really liked the new Blue Beetle: the one who replaced Ted Kord. He was too juvenile for me. Ted Kord was funny, but this guy was just too green. And the whole idea of getting his powers from the scarab and it contains alien tech just didn't So with the NEW 52, does that change? Not for me.
I liked the old Blue Beetle, you know the one who got killed by Max Lord in the OLD DC continuity. I never really liked the new Blue Beetle: the one who replaced Ted Kord. He was too juvenile for me. Ted Kord was funny, but this guy was just too green. And the whole idea of getting his powers from the scarab and it contains alien tech just didn't So with the NEW 52, does that change? Not for me.
We get to a space battle with the original scarab bearer, Khaji Kai and throw in some Green Lanterns for good measure. And then we get Jaime and his friends. There's Paco and Brenda and some others. Didn't care for them in the last series either. We get a rehash of the history of the scarab and find out the scarab is on the run and being pursued by the Green Lanterns. It ends up bonding itself to Jaime. Oh yeah: and there's a French version of the Brotherhood of Evil fighting a bunch of Mexican super villains.
Another book I don't care about. Tony Bedard's story is fine and Ig Guara's artwork is nice and clean. But I don't care about the characters or the story. I didn't need a Mexican superhero. I spent my youth watching Santo movies. And the dialogue in those was stereotypical enough. This is just as bad. Again: good story but I don't feel the need to follow it. Jaime is the future of the DCU? Thanks...I'll head back to the past.
BTW: the mysterious hooded woman is hiding behind a wall at the bottom of page 17.
Another of DC's young heroes is STATIC SHOCK, formerly known as Static when he was still part of the Milestone Universe...correction: The Dakotaverse. I really liked Milestone. Creator owned books representing minority heroes. It was quirky and had some tremendous talents, including the early works of John Paul Leon and Humberto Ramos, working on books like STATIC, HARDWARE, ICON, BLOOD SYNDICATE and even XOMBI. Then DC rolled them into the DC Universe during the World's Collide event and the whole thing when to hell. A great concept was brought mainstream. And then there was these cartoon.
Another of DC's young heroes is STATIC SHOCK, formerly known as Static when he was still part of the Milestone Universe...correction: The Dakotaverse. I really liked Milestone. Creator owned books representing minority heroes. It was quirky and had some tremendous talents, including the early works of John Paul Leon and Humberto Ramos, working on books like STATIC, HARDWARE, ICON, BLOOD SYNDICATE and even XOMBI. Then DC rolled them into the DC Universe during the World's Collide event and the whole thing when to hell. A great concept was brought mainstream. And then there was these cartoon.
Sigh...did I say how much I REALLY MISS Milestone.
Anyway, Virgil is 16 again. And he works at S.T.A.R. Labs. Oh yeah-so does his old Milestone cronie Hardware. Did I say how much I REALLY MISS Milestone. Static busts up a bunch of bad guys and now there's mnore bad guys after him and their special super villain Virule. Did I say how much I REALLY MISS Milestone. Virgil spends some quality time with his family, converses with Hardware and gets attack by a super villain.
Did I say how much I REALLY MISS Milestone?
Scott McDaniel: great writer. just not here. Did the editor tie his hands and make him write cheesy dialogue? How about the plot? Yawn! Sorry Scott: not interested. John Rozum's artwork? It's okay. But having a slightly out of proportioned hero on your front cover does tend to distract.
Now I'm sure someone is going to call me a racist after these last few reviews. It'll be along the lines of "you're picking on the Mexican comic" or "Have a problem with black superheroes, especially after trashing MISTER TERRIFIC". I do not have a problem with Ethnic superheroes. I have a problem with really badly written comics featuring one dimensional heroes. Here-want a sound byte that will cause contraversy? It's a good thing that creator Dwayne McDuffie has passed on, as untimely as it was, because this piece of work would have killed him. It has none of the hard edge that the original Milestone series had. It's a poor man's Spider Man. Oh wait: didn't Marvel just reboot their ULTIMATE SPIDER MAN with an ethnically diverse character? Who's stealing from who?
BTW: the mysterious woman is peeping through the Hawkins' fazmily window at the top of page 15
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