Here are today's Guest Reviews by Anj from Supergirl Comic Box Commentary for DC's; Action Comics #23.1 (Cyborg Superman #1), Earth 2 #15.1 (Desaad #1), and Superman #23.1 (Bizarro #1). I have also added my rating after each review. If you have any questions about my rating or want to discuss anything just leave me a comment.
Action Comics #23.1 - Born in Flames
Deep in space sits a cybernetic force of evil unlike any other. What terrible connection does Cyborg Superman share with Krypton? And what alien force commands the robotic terror? Find out here!
Preview
Cyborg Superman #1
It is the beginning of Villains' Month over at DC Comics, an event where the bad guys are taking over the comics and we get to hear their back stories, origins, and adventures. It is an interesting concept complete with the silly adornment of lenticular 3-D covers. But there are some reasons why I enter into this promotion with some trepidation.
For one, the DCU is already completely dark. What we need is a Heroes' Month, not a deeper look at the bad side of the universe.Second, the titles that might need a boost in sales that could come with something like this were left off the printers. You won't find Supergirl or Worlds' Finest or Vibe or Katana this month. And third, the lenticular covers are somewhat hit or miss.
Let's take a closer look at the first Villains' Month book I purchased, Action Comics #23.1, Cyborg Superman. And I will ask you to settle in because this is a long post with a long preamble before the review.
This book takes a close look at the new Cyborg Superman, the villain that Supergirl is fighting in her book. It turns out that the Cyborg is the corrupted form of Supergirl's father Zor-El. It is written by the current writer of Supergirl. Shouldn't this be Supergirl #23.1? And while the 3-D effects of the Cyborg work well on the cover, Superman in the background is always blurry. And why is Superman even on the cover?
But outside of those publicity concerns, I will be up front in saying that I didn't like this issue. And most of that revolves around the idea that, once again, DC has decided that Zor-El is a villain. It was bad enough when Jeph Loeb and Joe Kelly had him be insane, having his naked teenage daughter prance around him, while vowing to kill Kal-El. Luckily, Geoff Johns and Sterling Gates were able to retcon that version.
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 4/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 5/5
Story - 4/5
Verdict - 4.1 - (Buy Action Comics #23.1) SAVE 10%
Earth 2 #15.1 - The Fallen
As a member of Darkseid’s inner circle, Desaad is the Apokoliptian god of fear and pain. And since being stranded on Earth because of the events of EARTH 2 #1, Desaad has looked for a way home. He has the means, in the form of Boom Tube technology, but could not power it…until now!
Preview
Desaad #1
Earth 2 15.1 Desaad came out last week. This is another one of those books that should have been labeled Worlds' Finest #15.1 as this book only tangetially deals with the happenings on that Earth. Desaad has been the main villain in Worlds' Finest and this is his story. Couldn't this have been a nice little push for that title, helping bump sales? Instead, it's labeled Earth 2.
It is an interesting book by writer Paul Levitz. Sure, we get some back story about Desaad's arrival in Earth 1 and what his motivations are. But I have to think, much like I did with the last Legion issue, that there is some meta-textual message being stated here. We have Desaad interacting with Jack Kirby! There is breaking the fourth wall. Then there is looking at the fourth wall and commenting on the flaws. With all the nonsense swirling around DC right now, even if he didn't mean to, Levitz seems to be lauding artistic integrity.
Yildiray Cinar provides the art and gives it a certain griminess which fits the tone of the book. And thankfully, I was able to look at Desaad and not think of He-Man's doofus sorceror Orko. That alone deserves high praise!
I have the same complaint about the 3D that I have had for others. The background characters of Power Girl and Huntress are completely blurry.
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 4/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 3/5
Story - 3/5
Verdict - 3.4 - (Buy Earth 2 #15.1) SAVE 10%
Superman #23.1 - Arrested Development
Lex Luthors’ sinister plan to manipulate Superman’s genetic material to create a mindless soldier under his control results in the monster known as Bizarro: opposite of Superman in every way, with no compassion, no remorse and no mercy!
Preview
Bizarro #1
Superman #23.1 Bizarro came out last week, written by Sholly Fisch with art by Jeff Johnson. Of all the villain spotlight issues coming out this month, I was, perhaps, looking forward to this issue the most. And, happily, I wasn't let down.
I was definitely a big fan of the Sholly Fisch back-up features in the Morrison Action Comics run feeling that they provided some depth to the characters and Superman's origins, filling in some gaps that Morrison might not have the time to cover in the main storyline. I said it before, if Morrison's work were the bricks in the origins of the New 52 Superman, then Fisch's work was the cement holding them together. So I am not surprised that this issue was my favorite villain issue so far. I was definitely happy to see Fisch is still contributing to the Superman mythos.
This is certainly an interesting look at the first imperfect duplicate seen in the New 52. But more importantly, it not only links forward to the Forever Evil event, it links back to tie into the Morrison story. Much like those back-up features, this story really sort of pulls together events from Superman's past and present.
Bizarro can be anything from a silly character to a confused monster to an evil powerhouse. Jeff Johnson's art has a bit of a cartoony feel to it which suits some of the action here. Bizarro should be a sort of parody of Superman and his art really gives off that vibe. Plus there are some nice flourishes art-wise which works well.
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 4/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 3/5
Layout & Flow - 4/5
Story - 4/5
Verdict - 3.7 - (Buy Superman #23.1) SAVE 10%
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment