Comic book reviews for the week of December 22nd in six sentences (or less)

Guts and gore and…unpleasant sexual situations in this week’s Six Sentences (or less). Just the kind of thing you really want to delve into right before the holidays. Ho ho ho and all that. So upsize your egg nog as we present you with the holiday edition of Toronto’s favourite comic book mini-reviews.

Batman Incorporated #2
Bruce Wayne throws down with the Japanese super-villian, Lord Death Man, on his first stop around the world recruiting potential new Batmen to fight crime under the Batman Inc. brand. Surprisingly its a completely straightforward issue, full of almost none of the ticks and tricks that Grant Morrison loves to employ. Instead Morrison appears to be riffing on the essential elements on some of the core Batman mythos, only eerily devoid of the dark bleakness that’s inhabited the character for years. We have glimpses into Bruce the master-detective, the Kyle\Wayne forbidden love angle and some of the good ol’ hand on hand Batman ultra-violence. From any other author I’d say this is a solid Batman story by the numbers, from Grant Morrison I need more.

DC Universe: Legacies #8
DC’s illustrated history of the world continues. This issue deals with one of the darkest chapters of comic publishing, we call it the mid 90s. That’s when DC tried to reboot, revamp and otherwise rethink the basic tenants behind many of their core characters. Superman got a new haircut, Batman got his back broken, Green Lantern became a bad guy and a lot of other characters got otherwise replaced or shuffled off into the sidelines. The grand experiment lasted a couple years before, almost without exception, every single one was returned to their roots and the embarrassing saga was swept under the rug to be jeered at mockingly by sarcastic fanboys for years to come. Len Wein does a good job synthesizing the events of the time period into a single issue, but the real treat is a back up story drawn by Frank Quitely about DC’s Kirby era creations. Quitely is my all time favourite penciller and he’s able to make even a mediocre story imminently readable. Throw Kirby characters at him and I start to suffer Pavlovian responses by drooling uncontrollably on the page.

Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special #1
Of all the new characters introduced by Geoff Johns as part of the zombie epic BLACKEST NIGHT I think Larfleeze is easily the most popular. Of course it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make that deduction, considering that Larfleeze is the only character in the entire DCU to get his own Christmas book. Which is pretty good for a guy who’s only claim to fame is being a supporting character in the GREEN LANTERN expanded universe. When Larfleeze first burst on the scene he was portrayed as an aloof alien with a dark, malicious streak. Since then, he’s undergone a slight personality shift and now he comes across as a mix between the Grinch and a spoiled child. Now Larfleeze is played more for comic relief rather than any kind of serious threat.

Anyway, in this issue Larfleeze goes on a rampage in search of Santa Claus after he determines the big guy has neglected to give him any of the Christmas presents he asked for. Which means it’s up to Green Lantern to help show Larfleeze the true meaning of Christmas.

I think Larfleeze is a fun character and it’s always been amusing to see his more anarchistic and irreverent side. But unfortunately, from a plot point of view, this is a pretty thin issue when you get right down to it. Writer Geoff Johns is clearly playing this whole thing just for laughs and by doing so he’s in danger of cementing Larfleeze as a one note character – more so than he already is. There’s a small pay off at the end, setting up a future story arc in GREEN LANTERN I’m sure, but its material that’s already been hinted at in other places. In the end, another good but not a great issue.

Invincible #76
While Invincible might not deal with material as explicit as Neonomicon it is, in its own way, just as stomach turning. Penciller Ryan Ottley seems to have developed a knack for breaking, mutilating and otherwise disfiguring the human body. I’ve never seen near as many graphic disembowelments as I have before I started reading this comic. Eye gouging, decapitation and exposed internal organs are the new norm in these pages. The reason why the violence is so notable is that, at times, Invincible has the air of an all ages family style comic book. Blame the bright colours and teenage protagonists I guess.

Neonomicon #3
I think its important to step outside of your comfort zone once in awhile. If you don’t expose yourself to new stories and new ideas you end up slowly constructing a very safe little box for you to inhabit, where nothing ever challenges you. I think comic book readers often lock themselves inside those little boxes. Too many people get hooked on the capes and tights genre and they never look back. And there’s nothing wrong with that. If you’ve found something that works for you, then by all means enjoy it. You’re under no obligation to try something else.
But having said all that, Neonomicon pushes my tolerance levels for ‘something different’ right into the red zone. If you can get past the surface story about the extended rape scene and digest some of the unsettling implications of what appears to be the lead character’s acceptance of those events then you might be able to enjoy the deeper story that writer Alan Moore is trying to tell. But, to be honest, I’m getting hung up on the subject matter and I can’t look very far beyond that.

Superior #3
Otherwise known as the Superman who swears. Writer Mark Millar continues to put his Superman-analogue through his origin story paces. There’s not much to the issue in the way of story. We’re introduced to a super-sexed Lois stand in and treated to a few standard rescue scenes. But Leinil Yu makes the whole thing look so good that its easy to forget you’re watching something you’ve seen a hundred times before.

Comic book reviews for the week of October 6th in six sentences (or less)

Best of the week

Ultimate Thor #1
I have a confession to make. I used to be in love with Marvel’s Ultimate line. When it first hit I thought it was fun, fresh and free of stupefying continuity. Then the line grew stale, Jeph Loeb happened and it never really regained its luster. ULTIMATE THOR goes a long way towards recapturing what made the Ultimate line so great. It’s about four years too late to turn the tide, but its a great read nonetheless. This first issue covers his Thor’s early years in Asgard, the fall of Asgard at the hands of the Nazi’s and his first Ultimized appearances on earth. Except for the 3.99 price tag, I can’t think of a single thing to complain about. Read it after The Ultimates 2 and I think it should blend into Ultimate continuity quite seamlessly.

Batman: Odyssey #4
Good lord, I’ve heard of purple writing before, but the scripting in this book is so overdone its hard to read it without breaking into laughter. I found myself constantly rereading several sections in the book, trying to get a handle on what’s happening in the various scenes and a grasp some feel for the flow of the story. I’m not sure why this title doesn’t have the Elseworlds logo on it. It’s clear that nothing happening in the title is part of the DCU proper. Instead, it seems like Neal Adams got inspired by Miller’s All-Star Batmanand is trying to push the character of Batman in the most ludicrous direction possible.

Brightest Day #11
While BRIGHTEST DAY may not meet the requirements to technically be considered part of DC’s strategy to put out a weekly comic, it certainly embodies the spirit of the plan. And, after 11 issues I feel confident in saying that it easily surpasses Trinityand Countdown, while coming a hairsbreadth away from the high watermark that was 52. The art is strong and the story has powerful forward momentum that comes from its serialized nature. What’s not to like? Anyway, in this issue, Black Lantern Firestorm (aka Deathstorm) introduces shadow versions of the heroes and villains resurrected in the pages of THE BLACKEST NIGHT.

Neonomicon #2
Love him or hate him Alan Moore is a creator who continues to generate a fair amount of controversy in the insular comic book blogosphere. After reading the first issue of this title I found it helpful to spend some time knocking around online, perusing other reader’s analysis of the story. There were some interesting interpretations to be found that allowed me to look at the story on levels I hadn’t previously considered. But none of it prepared me for the visceral and disturbing imagery of the second issue. If, as Moore contends, there isn’t really anything interesting happening in comic books anymore then this is a nice little ‘up yours’ to comic readers. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions, but make no mistake, people will be offended by this book.

Superman: The Last Family of Krypton #3
Speaking of Elseworld titles, and we were, this one is a nice little throwback to years gone by when DC was afraid to throw a couple crazy ideas at the wall and see if anything would stick. It’s always nice to see Carey Bates play in the DC sandbox. Renato Arlem’s art doesn’t do much for me unfortunately. I find it flat and somewhat static. It’s not bad by any means, It’s just not my cup of tea. My biggest complaint with LAST FAMILY is that it falls prey to the trap that kills so many ‘what if’ stories. While initially these imaginary tales start off with bold new ideas on inflexible established franchises, too often they end up mirroring the current state\world of the character. Lex must always be bad, Kal must always be Superman and Clark must always end up with Lois. I’d be more interested in a renewed Elseworlds line if they took more risks with their properties and allowed creators to really push their boundaries with the characters.