The cover for 'Smallville - Season 11' as drawn by Cat Staggs

In 2001 Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk and Michael Rosenbaum first appeared on our television screens as the hallmark characters Clark Kent, Lana Lang and Lex Luthor. Feel free to cue up Remy Zero’s “Save Me” for nostalgia’s sake. For ten seasons, despite cast departures, Superman fans tuned in to watch the “Man of Steel” endure his trials and tribulations as he walked a hero’s path towards the destiny set forth for him while battling the likes of Zod, Lex Luthor, Doomsday and Darkseid. It wasn’t always positive, and there were surely as many downs as there were ups over the decade Smallville was on the air. Certainly, the series was tired and drawn out at times, often staggering through repetitious stories in the middle seasons concluding with Rosenbaum’s departure. Yet there were just as many seasons which were inspiring, heroic, and true to the form of the character. Some periods were memorable, some were completely forgettable.

When the show began, Miles Millar and Alfred Gough said the mission statement of the show was quite simply, “no tights, no flights.” It’s a credo the show stuck by even after both left the series. That of course came to an end in the series finale where not only did Tom Welling don an oddly similar costume to the one worn by Brandon Routh in Superman Returns, but we finally saw Superman flying and in action. Although you could argue viewers were altogether shortchanged considering it was actually done using CGI, those last moments of the series were the culmination of ten years worth of work, which had to satisfy fans whether you were perturbed by not really seeing Tom Welling in the suit or not. In the end, through better and worse, the show’s writers told their story of Clark Kent’s rise from mild mannered farm boy to inspirational superhero. That is why I feel the idea of continuing the series, albeit as a comic book, is unnecessary.

DC announced through its Source Blog Feb. 9 that it would be continuing the series’ story through digital format, later releasing the books as a print serial. The series, which will be written by former Smallville writer Brian Q. Miller, will debut April 13, 2012 and promises new digital chapters released weekly. Meanwhile the issues will be released in print starting May 16. Season 11 will essentially pick up right where the series left off, including many of the characters we came to know from the series.

“Six months after Clark Kent donned the cape and took to the skies to save Earth from Apokolips… enter Season 11!” Miller said in the press release.  “New allies abound!  New enemies afoot!  And old friends return where they’re least expected!  Pere (Perez) and colorist Chris Beckett have done a fantastic job of capturing the look of the show and the players, and Gary and Cat are knocking it out of the park on covers. I couldn’t be more excited to help give seasoned viewers and new readers an all-access pass to Clark’s first year in the cape.”

While there is surely a fan base for this series, I question the necessity of it. There are already a number of Superman related titles available, one of which specifically focused on Superman’s early days in Metropolis, not to mention the wealth of Superman origin stories currently available such as Superman: Earth One. Is there a need to revisit this? Considering the premise of the series was to explore Clark’s early years as he flies towards his destiny, what mission statement can they possibly adopt that hasn’t already been explored regarding the character, and isn’t being explored right now in the existing titles in both Action Comics and Superman? Smallville – Season 11 runs in the same vein as the Buffy and Angel series published by Dark Horse and IDW respectively, leaving it fairly obvious that DC Entertainment is looking to capitalize on the phenomenon with its own property.

Whether I agree with it or not, facts are facts. Even in its tenth season, the series drew over three million viewers for its finale. If even five per cent of the show’s fans who tuned in for that episode buy the issues digitally or in print, that instantly puts it near the top of Diamond’s top titles. In that respect, it’s a smart move with huge upside for DC. Creatively however, I can’t help but feel like the universe that was created for the show is barren for new ideas. But that’s not the point, is it?

Comic Culture is produced by Anthony Falcone and is engineered by Andrew Roebuck.

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Writer: Tony Daniel

Penciller: Tony Daniel

Inker: Sandu Florea

Colourist: Tomeu Morey

Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher

Cover: Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea

Publisher DC Comics

After a tour of duty on Batman with Dick Grayson as the man behind the cowl, Daniel returned to the Dark Knight’s world in writing Detective Comics. Now with Bruce Wayne firmly entrenched as the undisputed caped crusader, Daniel’s run has hit its stride after five issues. This week Comic Book Daily takes a look at issue six of Tony Daniel’s take on Bruce Wayne and the world of Batman.

The Road So Far…

A killer is on the loose, leaving innocents and thugs alike dead in the wake of his violence. With Snakeskin’s murderous spree seemingly unending, Batman must put the pieces together in order to catch him. Meanwhile, the Penguin prepares to open the Iceberg Casino, while simultaneously building up a closely knit group of criminal associates to aid in the building of his Gotham empire.

What’s the Story?

Batman discovers a bathtub filled with blood.

In a beach house off the Gotham Harbour, Snakeskin and his female companion, Chase, eye the Penguin’s new casino, brandishing a VIP pass as they dress for their night of violence out on the town. Across the city, Batman discovers the body of a lowly thug whom he had seen perfectly healthy weeks earlier. Desperate to understand the latest wave of Gotham murders, Batman moves from thug to thug, interrogating each; hoping to gather enough information to uncover the individuals responsible. At the casino, Charlotte, Bruce Wayne’s love interest, is caught snooping by a “colleague” named Jill. The two quickly realize their identities and acknowledge each other only as rivaling sisters could. After discovering the identity of the woman who had last spoken to Pog, another dead criminal, he realizes it’s Charlotte and races to the Penguin’s casino to save her. He is too late as Snakeskin creeps from the shadows and stabs Charlotte with a knife, leaving her near lifeless in Batman’s arms.

I felt as though this was a very strong issue for Daniel. Although never having truly written Bruce Wayne prior to his work on Detective Comics, he has nailed the character’s more detective oriented traits, making this more of a methodical, slow brewing stream of revelations. In contrast to Scott Snyder’s Batman title which focuses more on the character of Batman and to his credit the expansion of the mythos, Daniels brings his Batman back to the foundation of the character. His implementation of the classic interrogation tactics and fear inducing actions he’s known for throughout the criminal underworld enable the realism of his “police work,” enhanced further by building upon tidbits of information gradually over the course of several interrogations. I like where the story is heading, and I like the Penguin as a leader of the criminal underworld and the matter in which Daniel is building that aspect of the city’s underbelly. This has been one of the better books of the relaunch, and has remained so through six issues.

Batman interrogates a criminal.

The Pretty, Pretty Pictures

There’s nothing to dislike about Daniel’s artwork. The level of detail is astounding, which considering he’s obviously splitting duties between his writing of the book and providing the pencils, it’s unbelievable he’s been able to put forth so such solid work on both ends. Yet that happens to be the case, as Daniel has provided a gritty, dark and wonderfully detailed Dark Knight over the first arc. The third page of the issue, where Batman finds Raju dead, features a very nice half-page panel of Batman staring determinedly at the bathtub holding Raju. Another fantastic page features Batman’s encounter with a desk clerk, who pulls out a shotgun to ward off the Dark Knight, but is outsmarted and blows his own toes off while Batman callously pushes him for information. Each page is a visual treat, although the Iceberg Casino page near the end would not be what it is if not for Morey. I like the colouring work and the contrast between the Casino signs and the fireworks lighting up the sky. Along with the writing, the artwork on all accounts is very strong, providing the second half of the creative one-two punch this title offers.

Final Thoughts

This is one of the handful of new DC titles which is undeniably great with respect to its writing and artwork. Daniel is truly an all-star, in both writing and providing pencils for Detective Comics. His artwork amazes me with each page, while his story helps keep his iteration of Batman true to the namesake of the title. I like the contrast between this and the main Batman title, providing two fantastic, yet completely different takes on the character which gives you snapshots of Batman’s methodology, while together providing a complete impression of Batman. Detective Comics, as one of the flagship titles of the company, more than holds its own in making Batman an interesting character within the confines of his more detective-based elements.

The rest of the comic book publishers shared the remaining 31.28% of the Retail Dollar total. Image Comics was the best of the rest snagging 5.48% of the total Retail Dollar.

Sales in January declined slightly from December, with Comics falling by 7% and Graphic Novels falling by 4.5%. January’s sales improved over the year previous, with Comics sales up by 32% and Graphic Novels up by 18%.

DC Comics enjoyed a clean sweep posting the top 10 spots on the comic sales charts! Geoff Johns and Jim Lee’s Justice League #5 was the month’s best-selling comic book. Sweeping the top 10 spots is quite the coup for DC; I can’t see them holding every top ten spot for long especially with Marvel’s Avengers and Spider-Man movies hitting theatres this spring and summer.

DC Comics also dominated January’s top 10 graphic novel list, posting 5 including the top selling Batman: Through the Looking Glass.

DC will be returning to the world of 'Watchmen' with a series of prequels to be released in 2012.

Now with a day to have completely digested the announcement of DC’s decision to move forward with a collection of Watchmen prequels, not to mention an extended discussion with a friend, I’ve ultimately concluded I dislike the move.

With various mini-series focusing on Dr. Manhattan, Rorschach, The Minute Men, The Comedian, Ozymandias, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre, the summer releases will touch on and interpret the lives of these characters for the first time (outside the film) since Alan Moore wrapped up the original series over two decades ago. Watchmen is one of the most revered comic books in the medium’s history, one which has been included consistently on lists compiling the top literary works. And it’s completely warranted. At its core the book was a character analysis of the superheroic idealization and depiction of the modern superhero, breaking down their motivations for becoming a vigilante while highlighting their virtues as well as their vices. Moore’s work humanized each of them, while concurrently celebrating their shortcomings as individual characters. It forced us to look at heroes through another lens which in turn forced us to really look hard at their ethics and morality as it relates to their actions. The book(s) grounded those characters in reality, and despite the story being rooted in the fantastic, his analysis of heroism, vigilante psychology and the moral/ethical implications of action  have not been met since. The story itself was a complete work which told its story to perfection.

Rorschach will join his teammates in a series of prequels in 2012.

So I must posit the question. Why revisit their universe? What do these books add or do to enhance the content? What will the creative teams do in so far as paying homage to Moore’s graphic novel? While I can’t go so far as to decisively state they won’t, to presume this decision wasn’t economically motivated due to the state of the industry is naive. I have a friend who characterized the Watchmen prequels as DC’s big red panic button, the button encased in a glass covering, accompanied by the message, “In case of emergency, break glass,” that would be pressed by DC editorial as a last resort. I believe he’s right, and considering the nature of the relaunch of DC titles, this should have been expected. Regardless, this is a delicate project, which despite the inclusion of Brian Azzarello and J. Michael Straczynski as part of the creative teams, I’m unsure whether this is necessary. In fact, it’s not and the more I contemplated these books the more agitated I became.

“The flip-side to that question, then, is ‘Why do anything based on something that was well done?’ It’s weirdly counter-intuitive: the characters are great, the world is terrific, we created something amazing here, so, God — let’s never ever do that again,” Straczynski said in an interview with Comic Book Resources.

While I can see his point, I find his conclusion disagreeable. Not only does it feel like a writer toeing the company line, but I challenge the mentality seemingly possessed by JMS that they should do it because they can. I doubt that any of the writers truly have something to add to any of their characterizations, much less a way to present the material in a way that enhances the purpose of Watchmen. They can try, but in the end I can’t help but feel a degree of pretension at the thought of the effort. This simply isn’t a matter of DC looking to move the story, this is a matter of the company hoping to boost sales with a move that, regardless of fan reactions to the prequels, will be picked up by all, all the same. This will be a lucrative move for the company, yet I can’t help but consider the absence of creativity in the move and the stories that may be produced where the purpose doesn’t seem so much the need to tell a story as it is the need produce a story to increase total revenues.

Mr. Straczynski spoke of logical thought in relation to the decision to move forward without Alan Moore’s blessing, however his logic fails say, if we use his own Superman example. The difference being, as far as Superman and Watchmen is concerned, is that by the time Alan Moore wrote his Superman stories, the ongoing title had been in publication for nearly 50 years. Its continuing nature lends itself to creative changes, not to mention, that as a serial, the book will never end. Watchmen is a different matter, as it’s a 12 issue maxi-series which was written with the intent of telling a story about the nature of the superhero and the humanity buried underneath the perception of their godliness. It’s a complete work without the need for re-visitation. This move is what it is, and it smells of desperation.

“God help us all.”

World’s Finest #71, DC Comics, (July/August, 1954)

World’s Finest #71 was printed at both an historic low point for superhero comics and a major turning point for the American comic publishing industry. Though crime and horror comics ruled the day, behind the scenes Dr. Wertham and the US Senate were about to deal a death blow to all that sex and blood that comic books were dispensing to the youth of America. The Comics Code Authority that came out of all those Senate hearings on youth delinquency would start appearing on comics in a few short months (March 1955 on most DC comic books). The implementation of the Code would eventually lead to the revival of the superhero.

But it’s 1954 and DC Comics is really the sole viable keeper of the superhero flame (I won’t count Atlas’ attempt with Young Men #24 as viable since it turned out it wasn’t). DC had healthy selling titles devoted to their trifecta of crime proof and horror proof superheroes. I unofficially count 9 long standing titles devoted to DC’s main heroes Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. DC also used short six page back up stories to keep characters like Aquaman and Green Arrow alive.

The only title to run two of the major characters in the same book was World’s Finest. Since the spring of 1941 World’s Finest ran separate Superman and Batman stories in its pages. The title saw sales gradually decline over its first 13 years. While keeping its 15 cent cover price the title went through 4 page count reductions during these first 13 years seeing the initial 100 page issues drop to a mere 68 by the time issue #70 was published. Shaving off a third of the page count and over half the story count while still charging the same price is a recipe for decreasing sales in my opinion.

With issue #71 the World’s Finest page count falls from 68 to 36 and the price finally dropped to the industry standard 10 cents.

Unfortunately for DC cutting the book to 36 pages meant there was not enough room in the book for two main features so DC was forced to write Superman and Batman as a team!

It’s hard to believe but World’s Finest #71 marks the beginning of the Superman/Batman team ups. Superman #76 two years earlier (June/52) contained the first story of Superman and Batman learning each other’s identities and while a very sought after issue its price is much more realized.

Oddly enough the first time we see/hear a Superman and Batman team up is on March 2^nd 1945 on the popular 1940’s Mutual radio show The Adventures of Superman. That same radio show was the first place we’re introduced to the characters Perry White and Jimmy Olsen.

World’s Finest #71 has a Win Mortimer cover and  features Curt Swan pencils on the 12 page Superman/Batman team up story called Batman – Double for Superman. In the story Lois Lane learns Superman’s identity forcing Superman and Batman to come up with a way to convince here she is wrong. Switching roles is the genius solution they come up with, and it works!

The issue is rounded out with a 6 page Green Arrow story and a 6 page Tomahawk story featuring Nick Cardy pencils.

The Overstreet Price Guide lists World’s Finest #71 as scarce. There are only 37 copies graded by CGC as of this post and the highest grade is only a 7.5. There are no high grade copies of this book graded! Compare that with the 91 graded copies of Superman #76 of which 20 grade over a 7.5 and you get a sense of how tough this book is.

The funny thing about World’s Finest #76 is that it is a bit unassuming. The cover is not instantly recognizable, the title is not the most collected, it’s easy to miss this book. Here’s a tip, don’t let this book slip out of your hand if you’re ever lucky enough to be holding one.

People are starting to become aware though , while a CGC graded 6.5 copy got a healthy $1017 in 2010 (about double guide), a CGC graded 5.5 just sold for a staggering $1850 last month over 4.5 times guide.

This is the type of comic that can still be found in collections, it’s one that may have survived guys going through collections and pulling out key issues. Memorize the cover and keep on the lookout!

The 41st edition of the Overstreet Price Guide shows $947/$1624/$2300 as the splits at the 8.0/9.0/9.2 grades.

Strengths that make this comic book a good long-term investment are:

• Very scarce comic
• Marks the start of the long running Superman/Batman team-up
• Seems nonexistent in high grade (though I’m sure there are some nice ones still out there)

Writer: Gail Simone; Co-Plotters: Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone

Pencils: Yildiray Cinar

Inker: Norm Rapmund

Colourist: Steve Buccellato

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Cover: Ethan Van Sciver and Hi-Fi

Publisher: DC Comics

When DC relaunched its line of comic books in Sept. 2011, a plethora of characters previously without titles were given new life with books of their own. Many of the principal characters featured in Brightest Day have been featured, notably as identical or slightly intensified versions of themselves. In the case of the Firestorm title, the writers have had to tackle the issue of including both Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond as the main characters in the book. The effort is additionally problematic considering the fickleness of the Firestorm fan base. This week CBD takes a look at the fifth issue of The Fury of Firestorm.

The Road So Far…

Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch are two high school students; Raymond is a typical student athlete while Rusch is the bookworm. While at school, a terrorist cell attacks Ronnie and Jason’s classmates, goading Jason to produce a vial containing what Professor Stein called the “god particle”, promptly turning the two into Firestorm. After a brief fight between them, they accidentally merge into a hulking version of Firestorm called Fury. Shortly after the event, it’s learned other states across the globe have in their possession similar serums which allow them to produce their own Nuclear Men, creating a new Cold War style nuclear arms race as other countries rush to get their own Firestorm.

What’s The Story?

Pozhar subdues and destroys one of the rogue protocols.

Deep in the heart of Siberia, near what was previously a prison camp, Inspector Filippov arrives to assess the Firestorm program run by Professor Arkadin. Wishing to articulate his disagreement with the Politburo’s decision to shut down his initiative, Arkadin, from a safe distance, requests that his men release the “Rogue Protocol.” Deemed a threat to everyone on the continent due to his psychological instability, he’s considered to be a prime example of the Firestorm program’s imperfection if short cuts are taken with the subjects. Without hesitation, Arkadin transforms himself into Pozhar, his version of the Firestorm protocol. He quickly dispatches the rogue while highlighting the realities facing civilization, where these individuals can march into any city and destroy it with little effort. With the rogue threat neaturalized, Arkadin asks the Inspector whether he would like to discuss further funding for his program. In the United States, Jason wakes up from a nightmare to find himself inside the Zithertech complex deep in the Nevada desert. Under the watchful eye of Director Zither and her assistant, Jason finds a note and some flowers in his room, just as Zithertech security arrives to escort him to lunch. Reacting poorly to his mistreatment by the security team, Jason transforms into Firestorm and turns their guns into broomsticks, later lowering himself to physically punching some of them before his father arrives. Jason and his dad walk from the Zithertech facility to their new home, where Allan Rusch presents his confused son with the keys to a new pick-up truck. As they tour the house, Director Zither and her assistant reveal themselves along with Ronnie who uncharacteristically asks Jason to come outside and toss a football back and forth. Unsure of what to do, Ronnie offers a truce in the form of entrusting Jason to decide what route they should taken in handling Zithertech’s request. Resolving to play along with the company for the time being, the two Firestorms fly off to Walton Mills Arena where a rogue Firestorm plans to hold a stadium full of concert goers hostage. Ronnie and Jason arrive and ward off the rogue’s guards before focusing their attentions on him. It’s too late though, as the rogue detonates himself and kills everyone at the arena, while Jason and Ronnie can only watch in horror.

Jason wakes up to find flowers and a note waiting for him.

Issue five of the new Firestorm series peeled back the layers of Simone and Van Sciver’s story, revealing a darker underbelly of what is in store for Ronnie and Jason going forward. The issue formally introduced Directer Zither as a centerpiece of the story and allowed us to further glean her plans for the Firestorm protocols, although her character is very much reminiscent of Amanda Waller in regard to her shadiness and is hardly an original character altogether. As the cover of the issue demonstrates, she is the individual pulling the strings of Jason and Ronnie, turning them into weapons of mass devastation for the U.S. government. The difference being, as was also shown in the beginning of the issue, is that it’s clear some Firestorm programs are not done correctly, while in the case of Professor Arkadin, the dichotomy between official, fully financed programs and the rogue programs is clear funding such that the platform can develop it to its potential without cutting corners. This “recruitment drive” issue continued nuclear scaled proliferation and the expansion/availability of the Firestorm protocols, creating a new arms race on the international stage whereby states compete, similarly as they would for nuclear technology, for their own Firestorm. The issue, more than the previous four, feels like a dual commentary on the stockpiling of nuclear arms in contemporary society, while also highlighting the terrorist mentality as demonstrated in the issue’s closing. The issue is hardly apolitical, leaping almost blindly into the volatile discussion of terrorism and military arms, and more, the authority to engage specific action where the situation calls for it. Stepping away from the underlying politics of the issue, The Fury of Firestorm #5 was a fun issue which hit the funnier hallmarks of the character such as creating balloons or turning security’s guns into brooms. While not the best book on the shelves, it’s enjoyable for what it is despite being a little heavy handed on the political side.

The Pretty, Pretty Pictures

Jason accepts the security team's invitation and transforms into Firestorm.

While the story is spotty, the artwork has been consistently good throughout the run. This issue was no exception from the front cover, drawn by Van Sciver, to the interior artwork by Cinar. Perhaps the most enjoyable dynamic of the art is its inconsistent panel arrangement on each page. No two pages feel identical to the other, creating an interesting experience with each turn. The opening fight between Pozhar and the rogue Firestorm was nicely pencilled, while Buccellato turned in some fantastic work, differentiating the colours of the different Firestorms with corresponding powers. Following those pages, we found Jason waking up from a dream, where the borderless panel is split in the middle, creating the source of Jason’s nightmare in the Fury, while the second half of the panel displays his waking from the dream in a cold sweat. I like how the Fury bleeds right into the back of Jason’s head. I really loved Scott Clark’s work on Firestorm during Brightest Day, and this panel reminds me of that series’ offering. The book’s art is also not without its contrasting presentation. In the pages featuring Jason and the Zithertech security team, there’s one small panel depicting Rusch smirking to himself before transforming into Firestorm and touching down after a fiery explosion in an adjacent succession of panels. Cinar, Rapmund and Buccellato provided some great visuals from beginning to end, in what was the high point of the issue.

Final Thoughts

After five issues, The Fury of Firestorm doesn’t really feel like it’s found its identity yet. That’s to be expected though, as of the relaunched titles it’s this character whose history and background have undergone the most dramatic alterations spiraling out of Flashpoint. In an attempt to evidently appease both Jason and Ronnie fans, the pair have created a micro-universe whereby both unto themselves are Firestorm and can function separately from the other unlike during Brightest Day. It’s perhaps the best route to have taken, especially considering the relative lack of popularity of Firestorm as a whole. With that in mind, the liberties Van Sciver and Simone have taken with this book are sensible, and although I was unsure of the book’s dynamic after the first issue, the idea has grown on me. In addition, in an effort to expand the lackluster rogues gallery, Simone and Van Sciver have combined the premise of Firestorm with a worldwide scope, creating an environment where proliferation of states and their arms programs are front-and-centre. Creating these rogue experiments is smart because it gives Firestorm something the comics have lacked, and that’s a true antagonism. Where I begin to have trouble with the book is that the title feels overly politicized in how it’s written, combined with the terrorist element of the illegitimate programs. Moreover, with the United States having two Firestorms, as well as the apparent state sponsorship offered by Zithertech, The Fury of Firestorm feels like its commentary inadvertently states the U.S. should have more big guns than their rivals, and I’m not sure that’s necessarily a good message to have hidden within the confines of a comic book. Regardless, politics aside, the book is fun and enjoyable, but I’m not sure how much staying power it will have, much less the extent Simone’s departure will impact the title.

Writer: Scott Snyder

Penciller: Greg Capullo

Inker: Jonathan Glapion

Colourist: FCO

Letterer: Richard Starkings

Cover: Greg Capullo and FCO; Chris Burnham and Nathan Fairbairn (variant)

Publisher: DC Comics

Batman is on trial as the mythic Court of Owls is closing in on the Dark Knight. Issue five of the relaunched series was released last week, bringing with it new revelations about the shadowy cabal purportedly to have run Gotham since the pioneer days.

The Road So Far…

Since he first donned the cowl of the bat, Gotham City has been Batman’s territory. That’s what he believed anyway. Unbeknownst to Bruce Wayne, much less the rest of Gotham, a mythic cabal called the Court of Owls has puppeteered the destiny of the city from the shadows. Now, with Bruce Wayne desiring to bring Gotham up from the sewage of its past, he himself has been targeted by the cabal’s resident assassin known only as The Talon.

What’s the Story?

Batman stumbles into a room with a large owl statue and a fountain after days of wandering the Court of Owl's maze.

In the week since his disappearance, the GCPD has maintained a constant vigil for Batman in the form of keeping the Bat-Signal lit. Meanwhile, Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl run themselves into exhaustion as they search for their mentor, while Catwoman worriedly gazes up at the signal high up in the Gotham sky. Elsewhere, Batman stumbles through a maze in the darkness, opting to remain in the shadows where the Court cannot find him. It is all for naught, as the lights turn on as he enters a room revealed to be pristinely white with a large statue of an owl guarding a small water fountain. He hurriedly gulps some of the water despite his better judgement, and continues onward to find a small memorial room decorated with plaques containing photographs of past targets of the Court. With insanity seemingly gripping him, Batman smashes the lens of a camera in the middle of the room and quickly retreats to the darkness. Down a corridor, he spies a group of individuals wearing white owl masks. Quickly giving chase and pronouncing his discovery of their existence, Wayne finds the illusion to be another trick of the maze, stumbling upon another lightened room with the surnames of many of his adversaries’ and allies’ ancestors from Cobblepot to Gordon engraved on the walls. In an adjacent room, Bruce investigates rows of coffins, each with a picture of a child placed on the top-centre of each. An open, empty coffin sends Batman reeling into another room, his senses overwhelmed by the realities barreling down on him. While reconciling with the revelation of the order’s existence, The Talon impales him from behind at the exact moment the Bat Signal bulb shatters on the rooftop of the GCPD building.

With the Dark Knight missing, his allies struggle to cope with his absence.

For a character well over 70 years old, there’s only so much left to be unearthed within the Batman mythos. Where Snyder succeeds is finding a way to fit his story into the DCU relaunch without coming up with a plot that’s considerably hokey or ridiculous in contrast to what preceded it. Snyder has managed to expand Gotham’s history even further beyond what was established in the Morrison run to really dig into the heart of Gotham’s plight over the centuries. Yet, despite the comic book backdrop, it’s a much more grounded approach comparatively to Morrison’s run. Although a classic addition to the Batman legend in its own right, Morrison’s over-the-top approach circumvented the realism of the story, an absent element to Snyder’s foray. It also introduces the idea of a shadowy cabal controlling Gotham’s destiny behind the scenes, injecting an Illuminatist tone into the Batman universe. What’s enjoyable is our finding, and subsequently watching it play out, that our conception of Gotham as Batman’s city is shattered. Reality as it’s uncovered is quite the contrary, and it’s an interesting and very realistic antagonistic piece of Gotham’s criminal puzzle yet to be explored. Amid the plot’s moving forward, Snyder successfully characterizes the importance of Batman to Gotham both in relation to keeping the criminal underworld in check, and to his allies. Although we see the range of emotions from them, the most touching perhaps is saved for the end of issue upon the Bat Signal’s bulb breaking, where Damian storms onto the rooftop and demands they replace it before he emotionally breaks down. It’s a little uncharacteristic of the character, but can either be deemed poor writing or a crack of emotion shining through the rough exterior of the younger Wayne. I choose the latter, and it is another example of the high quality work Snyder has put forth since his start on the title.

At the end of his psychological rope, Batman perhaps is finally pushed over the edge.

The Pretty, Pretty Pictures

Artwork is everything to a comic, and Capullo finds the delicate balance between presenting highly detailed pencil-work with much going on in the panels without making them look boring or uneventful. Each panel in the issue is interesting, with work ranging from Commissioner Gordon and Bullock standing on the GCPD building awaiting the arrival of Batman, a worried look enveloping Gordon’s face, to the visibly shaken Damian and his increasing worry over his father’s disappearance. With the majority of the issue taking place inside the Court’s maze, the artwork jumps back and forth between light and dark, stressing the importance of the inking work supplied by Glapion. Thematically the contrast presents itself visually. Mirroring Snyder’s premise of light and dark, the owl being a predator of the bat, the art moves seamlessly between the shadows Batman seeks refuge in and the fully illuminated white rooms of the labyrinth. Capullo expands his palette of creativity a little further at various junctures of the issue, notably the sequence of pages where Batman moves from room to room. In one case Bruce gazes at a photograph of an old man; Capullo situates the panel rather well with Bruce’s reflection and the old man’s visage composing a Two-Face type dichotomous dynamic. It’s almost as though Bruce envisions himself in the man’s place amid his fluctuating sanity. In addition, stepping away from the nuanced creativity of the panel work, Capullo and FCD composed some fantastic artwork later in the issue when the owls begin to tear Batman’s costume from his body, or how in various pages we see The Talon close in quiet pursuit of his prey, creeping in the shadows Batman clings to so desperately until finally he attacks Bruce at the end of the issue. Batman #5 bookends the installment with another appearance atop GCPD headquarters, whereby it appears the signal shatters at the precise moment Batman is stabbed, bringing this book and its fantastic artwork to a close.

Final Thoughts

Batman creeps through the darkness of the maze.

Batman is a book well deserving of praise. The title is a creative tour-de-force encompassing an engaging, original story combined with tremendous pencils, inks and colouring work. As one of the flagship titles of the DC relaunch, Snyder’s Batman has been able to maintain its integrity despite the editorially-mandated retcon of the universe and has provided an engaging, deep and intriguing story that expands the mythology of Batman, which at 70 years old is no easy task. Snyder’s work is commendable, and with each new issue the veil of his mystery is pulled back a little further to reveal a tremendously well devised, well plotted book.

Writer: Peter Milligan

Artist: Mikel Janin

Colours: Ulises Arreola

Letters: Rob Leigh

Cover: Ryan Sook

Publisher: DC Comics

With the DC reboot, the company took a bit of a step backwards in expanding the Justice League family tree, similarly extending their line as they did with the old JLI and JLE books. Justice League Dark (JLD) adds a bit of a twist to the concept, bringing together many of the DCU’s notable magicians, sorcerers and mystics to tackle the world’s biggest magic-based threats. What happens though when DC’s brightest heroes fall short of stopping a threat like a deranged, positively insane Enchantress? Who are you going to call? John Constantine, Deadman, Shade, Madame Xanadu and Zatanna, that’s who.

The Road So Far…

The ever unpredictable Enchantress is up to her old, evil ways. After having been split from June Moone, the other half of her personality, the evil half seeks out her good self to re-integrate June such that Enchantress can again become whole. Standing in her way is a rag-tag group of mystics including  John Constantine, Deadman, Shade, Madame Xanadu and Zatanna whom hope to stop the evil witch before it’s too late.

Deadman merges with Enchantress...

What’s the Story?

The issue begins with June and Deadman in dire circumstances against Enchantress, leading Deadman to merge with the witch in order to save June from Enchantress’ clutches. Delving into her mind, he discovers this wasn’t the real Enchantress. Presently apart from her beau, Dove arrives home to find John Constantine sitting in her kitchen, who enlightens her as to the dangers that are coming their way. Meanwhile, Shade has a run in with Mindwar, who is not receptive to the idea of joining Madame Xanadu’s team. All of this is viewed by Xanadu, who becomes increasingly worried that they may not be able to stop the forthcoming onslaught; thousands upon thousands of June Moone and Enchantress copies commence country-wide carnage characterized by decapitating or maiming regular citizens in the streets, in malls and where they work. The insanity’s genesis emanates from a small little cabin in the middle of a field in the rural country side where Enchantress’ power grows with each moment. As she discovers the copies of herself and June Moone have failed to locate the real June, she decapitates one of the June copies, before sensing the presence of Zatanna outside. She sends the copies out to confront her; they quickly overwhelm Zatanna and she teleports away, arriving beside Shade who attempts to recruit her to Xanadu’s team. Concurrently to these events, Constantine confronts Xanadu about her role in June Moone’s current predicament. Little do they know that as they argue over June, one of the June copies has found the real June hiding in a hotel with Deadman. He attempts to open a portal to escape with June and steps through, but as he does June is left behind as Enchantress’ forces converge on her.

...and finds it to be unfulfilling.

The fourth part of the book’s opening arc was interesting. While the main conflict appears to be the connection between June Moone and Enchantress and the running thread bringing all of the mages together in this story to combat the main antagonist, the sub-plots help keep the story intriguing. While the main Enchantress story is the primary plot point, Shade’s recruitment drive, the Dove-Deadman love story and Constantine’s accusations towards Xanadu freshen the storytelling while also peeling back the layers and perhaps answering the primary story’s questions towards a greater understanding and comprehension of the circumstances which face the book’s characters. In this issue we discover the reason Xanadu is so intent to gather a team of magicians to combat Enchantress; she had a hand in initiating their current predicament. Altogether, Milligan is nicely balancing the book’s cast, seamlessly weaving each character in and out of the book masterfully while still giving equal gravity to their appearance and their contribution to the greater story. With each I page I feel like Milligan is building towards something, and with near flawless execution, despite not being a runaway hit of the New-52 I feel it can be another sleeper hit of the relaunch.

The Pretty, Pretty Pictures

Deadman returns from the copy's body.

Janin’s pencils/inks brought everything I look for in a comic book’s artwork. There’s a tremendous amount of variation in the issue’s panel/page arrangement that’s intuitively creative, amazing, and at times, breathtaking in his clever indulgence of the fantastic. From front to back, the art is of a high calibre whose quality and depth place it in a category among DC’s best. The opening three pages of the book hit you hard and fast with amazing visuals, such as Deadman’s attempt to merge with Enchantress, his travels through the husk’s mind and his reemergence from its body. Janin’s amazing art continues through the next few pages during Shade’s conversation with Mindwar, as the former’s magical powers manifest in a colourful array of energy which could not have been easy to draw. The page that follows depicts Madame Xanadu as she conjures images of the carnage across the country. With her in the background, stretching her arm out towards the jar as a purple hue overwhelms her complexion, green energy funnels into the jar. The issue simply doesn’t let up on its beauteous assault on your eyes. Joining Janin is colourist Ulises Arreola whose fantastic talents helped hit the fastball thrown by Janin right out of the park. Arreola outdid himself here, creating a fantastic, colourful parade of visuals which overwhelms the pages and creates a spectacle unto itself. Deadman’s exploration of Enchantress’ mind, the aforementioned Xanadu conjuring and especially the latter pages featuring Enchantress escaping an envelope in a storm of green energy, or the final page when the June copies converge and form a gigantic effigy of Enchantress. Each page is finely detailed and wondrous. The panel arrangement isn’t limited to a set layout, allowing it to breathe and not become muddled within the confines of a standard composition.

Constantine pulls a Rorschach and eats some of Dove's cooked beans out of the can.

Final Thoughts

 Justice League Dark is an anomaly in the DCU. Although its magic-based characters have been given a fair chance to succeed in the past with their own title, especially Constantine with the long-running, successful Vertigo series Hellblazer, they collectively haven’t truly been given a story with the scope, direction and vision that this book seems to have. There are interesting stories to tell with magic-based books that other series simply don’t allow, and with Peter Milligan crafting the plot it’s already clear this book is placing some of the DCU’s underutilized characters front and centre, combating threats no other can face. I like the concept of the book, and hope it does well. It’s a book which shines light on some of the DCU’s lesser known figures, and with Milligan, Janis and Arreola helming the book’s creative team, I expect great things from this book as Milligan’s plot incrementally builds towards a conclusion.

Writer: Peter Tomasi

Penciller: Fernando Pasarin

Inker: Scott Hanna

Colourist: Gabe Eltaeb

Letterer: Pat Brosseau

Cover: Andy Kubert with Alex Sinclair

Publisher: DC Comics

With the relaunch of the DCU, the Green Lantern Corps title saw a shake-up with the departure of GLC mainstay Kyle Rayner to New Guardians while Corps veteran John Stewart moved over from the main title to join Guy Gardner. Now four issues in, let’s take a look at how the book is shaping up.

The Road So Far…

A mysterious force has been killing Green Lanterns left and right and John and Guy have taken a team deep into space to end this intergalactic threat. The team arrives on the planet Xabas, only to come face-to-face with the Keepers. The Keepers quickly dispatch many of the Lanterns and gain the upper hand and force Guy and John to call a retreat. Many of them transport back to Oa using one of the present Lantern’s natural teleportation powers, but they quickly find that Stewart and a small number of Lanterns have been left behind to fight for their lives.

Guy Gardner interrogates one of the Keepers.

What’s The Story?

At the outset of the issue, Stewart goads the Keepers into fighting, which they quickly oblige. Despite his zest to take on the Keepers’ many numbers, he quickly finds that his energy supply, much like his team members’, is depleted. With their power rings useless, one of them attempts to attack a Keepers with their own green energy swords, a tactic which fails as they’ve been programmed to deactivate if used against them. With no other option, John Stewart attempts to invoke an intergalactic treaty which surmises that one force must accept another’s surrender and treat them (presumably) as prisoners of war. The Keepers balk at the request, and kill one of the four lanterns, striking them through their cranium with an energy blade. Another Lantern, Vandor, becomes enraged but is restrained by John who tells him now isn’t the time, and if they’re going to die they have to make it count. Back on Oa, Guy continues his attempts to extract information from the Keeper they took prisoner. Conferring with Salaak regularly, Gardner is taken aback by the news that the Guardians do not recognize the Keepers’ physiology. As other Lanterns who were present in the initial fight take out their frustrations stemming from their failure, the Martian Manhunter makes an appearance, much to Gardner’s surprise. After explaining who he is and where’s he’s from, J’onn J’onzz tells Gardner of the Keepers’ origins: they are what their name implies, and are the guardians, albeit formerly, of something sacred. The Lantern batteries.

I suppose one of the cooler aspects of this book is that because it’s a story set in space, there’s no shortage of stories that can be told within the confines of its 20-something pages. Even better, Tomasi has done so in a way that expands the GL mythology a little further by introducing a layer of intrigue as to the relationship between the Guardians of the Universe and the apparent (former) Keepers of the Batteries. In GL lore, the batteries were traditionally kept in a pocket universe, where they were protected by these new antagonists who seem more than capable of taking out the entire Corps. What I enjoy is that the Keepers are clearly a new threat and not something that’s being rehashed from a previous story, which is also interesting as we have to wonder as readers what precisely caused the falling out between the Guardians and the Keepers. With John and his small team still stranded and Guy back on Oa with everyone else, the issue is about equally split between the two title characters, although it feels like more weight is given to John Stewart’s story. It’s here though that we see Tomasi still trying to get a strong grasp on how to write John Stewart, a character which for the most part seems new to him, unlike Gardner whom he’s been writing since the Sinestro Corps War. I think he’s got a decent handle on the character after these few issues, but I think it’s just going to take time for him to find John’s voice, and when he does I think we’ll see a great duo in the book composed of Guy and John. Although initially I wasn’t that impressed with the story arc, after giving it some thought, it’s actually pretty good.

The Martian Manhunter prepares to show Guy what the Keepers are plotting.

The Pretty, Pretty Pictures

There’s very little to be said about Fernando Pasarin’s pencils, and the work of Hanna and Eltaeb on inks and colours in this issue. It’s really, really good. There are some very cool pages throughout the issue, such as when the Keeper runs his energy blade directly through the head of one of the stranded Lanterns. Here we see the end of the of blade clearly coming through his forehead, while the amount of force used is exemplified by the immense splatter of purple blood exploding from his head. With Guy on Oa, the art team tried a bunch of different things with Gardner’s constructs, creating cameras to take pictures of the captured Keeper before Guy smashes one of them into his face with all of its little screws, bolts, lenses and inner/outer workings exploding on his nose. They also took a simpler approach, encasing his hand in solid green construct energy as he punches the Keeper in the forehead; little sparks fly from the impact. Placing Salaak as one of the one head Lanterns, he essentially has most of the Guardians’ information at his finger tips, indicated by the number of screens around him functioning as databases for him to use to communicate with other Lanterns. It looks really nice on the page. I also enjoyed the pages featuring some of the mainstay Lanterns venting their frustrations after leaving John and company behind on Xabas, especially the Isamot Kol and Hannu pages, which look fantastic. With Kol specifically, I liked the inking and colouring of the panel where the four Keeper constructs hammer down on Isamot’s former location and his simply leaps into the air with sparks of green energy flying everywhere. I loved the artwork in this issue, and look forward to seeing more of the team’s work in the future.

Final Thoughts

Although initially lukewarm to the book, I’ve taken to Tomasi’s story arc with this last issue. I’m really liking the dynamic between Stewart and Gardner in hindsight, and feel that now with Rayner out of the picture in the title, Gardner can freely take the central role while Tomasi can spend a considerable amount of time building up Stewart without really feeling obligated to give character B more panel time than character A. I like the direction the story is taking, and I love how it’s expanding the universe similarly to what New Guardians is doing. The story is coming along and the artwork is as solid as it’s ever been, and together we’re getting what is going to be a solid series.