TITLE: Justice League: Origin
AUTHOR: Geoff Johns
PENCILLER: Jim Lee
COLLECTS: Justice League #1-6
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
GRAPHIC NOVEL PRICE: $24.99
GRAPHIC NOVEL RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2012

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Yeesh. Talk about a tall order. Justice League: Origins tasks Geoff Johns and Jim Lee with setting up the post-Flashpoint DCU, introducing all seven members of the League plus Darkseid to new readers, telling a story that’s appealing to both new and longtime readers, and moving that story along at a pace that doesn’t allow it to get bogged down by all the introductions. They definitely accomplished the first two. Whether they got the last two is up for debate.

Justice League: Origin takes place five years in the past. Superhumans are a fairly recent development, and the public is largely afraid of them. But when demonic creatures (which regular DC readers know as parademons) start popping up around the world, Batman, Green Lantern, Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman and Aquaman must come together to save the world. Meanwhile, a terrible accident turns high school football star Victor Stone into Cyborg, who may very well be the key to humanity’s survival. Because from the flames of Apocalypse, Darkseid is coming…

This book takes a very ground-floor approach to the Justice League concept, as it should. Unlike the previous continuity, the League is the first active superhero team. There has never been a Justice Society, an Infinity Inc., etc. Most of the characters have heard of one another, but have never met (Green Lantern and The Flash are the exception). The plot is also pretty simple: Bad stuff is happening in Metropolis, and these heroes are all drawn to it. As a longtime fan, the formula for most of this book is almost painfully simple. Character introduction and exposition, action mixed with character introduction, repeat. But you can’t necessarily fault Geoff Johns for that approach. Remember, this is supposed to be the first chapter in the Justice League’s history. And what does a first chapter do? It introduces the characters. That’s especially important when you consider that this book is designed to be a hook for new readers. For longtime fans it might be tedious, but it’s necessary.

They couldn’t have chosen a better artist for this book than Jim Lee. Let alone the fact that he’s a co-publisher at DC, and designed the many of the new looks for these characters, he’s just an amazing artist. His action scenes all have great weight and tension to them, which needless to say is a must when your book is so action-heavy. Fight scenes tend to be filled with epic splash pages. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Darkseid all get nice two-page splashes. The costume tweaks for the heroes are all acceptable, except for the fact that Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and The Flash all look like their armor was made by the same company. That’s a hell of a customer pool, isn’t it? Gotham City, Central and Keystone Cities, the planet Krypton, and the Guardians of the friggin’ universe! I’d like to shake that marketing coordinator’s hand…

However, I’m greatly concerned about how Superman is portrayed in this book. The fact that he’s so powerful makes him cocky and standoffish, and thus not necessarily likeable. He spends a good portion of his introductory time saying things like:

- “So, what can you do?”
- “Talk, Batman. Before I won’t let you.”
- “Chains? You’re funny Green Lantern.”
- “Why should I come with you?…No one’s like me.”

I get that this story takes place during Superman’s early years, so maybe he’s a little overconfident, and dare I say immature, than we’re used to seeing him. He’s feeling ostracized because he’s not from Earth, so he’s not very trusting. That’s fair enough. But that’s the only side of Superman we see in this story. If you’re a new reader, the only impression you have of Superman is that he behaves like the conceited star of a high school football team. That’s a pretty big misstep considering Superman is not only one of the poster boys for the Justice League, but one of the faces of the entire DC Entertainment brand. We see a similar problem with Aquaman. But he’s also got the most bad ass moment in the entire book (he tells a bunch of shark to leap out of the water and catch parademons in the air), so that buys him a bit of leniency from me.

Truth be told, Origin sees more than one of our heroes acting like jocks vying to be captain of the team. Green Lantern has the stones to trap Batman in a construct and says: “Here’s the plan: Green Lantern goes in there and restrains Superman for questioning. Batman waits here.” But the difference between what happens with Superman and what happens with Green Lantern is that Johns takes the time to redeem GL. Without getting too specific, as the intensity of the battle increases, we start to see cracks in Hal Jordan’s confidant, cocky exterior. We see that deep down he’s really a good person, and not the pretentious douchebag he is at the beginning of the story. Superman and Aquaman don’t have moments like that. Johns and Lee didn’t need to stop the story to address this issue. All we needed were a couple of little moments. A throwaway line for both characters might have even done the trick. But nope, pretentious douchebags.

Everybody else fares pretty well. Batman is the combat veteran, Wonder Woman is the honorable yet action-hungry warrior, The Flash is the straight-laced guy with the heart of gold, and Cyborg is the new kid on the block trying to find his way.

So is this a team new readers can root for? Yes, and I think that quality will only grow as the series progresses. But in this book, their origin story, I wish they spent a bit more time acting like heroes, as opposed to squabbling teenagers. Are disagreements bound to happen when seven people from seven different backgrounds come together? Of course. That’s one of the things that makes any team book interesting. But at the end of the day, these characters are here to fight for justice and virtue. I wish this book could have done more to show us the beginnings of a team, as opposed to characters who all happen to be fighting on the same side of a war.

Origin is a solid start. It’s not as good as it could have been, but it’s a start.

RATING: 6.5/10

Front page image from comicartcommunity.com. Image 1 from ifanboy.com. Image 2 from toddnovaksblog.blogspot.com. Image 3 from dadsbigplan.com. 

TITLE: War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath
AUTHORS: Tony Bedard, Peter Tomasi, Scott Kolins
PENCILLERS: Miguel Sepulveda, Tyler Kirkham, Ransom Getty, Andy Smith, Daniel HDR, Joe Prado, Scott Kolins, Freddie Williams II, Bernard Chang, Chris Batista, Ron Frenz
COLLECTS: War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath #1-2, Green Lantern Corps #61-63, Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #11-13
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $22.99
RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2012

By Levi Sweeney
Contributor, Grand X

For the last four years or so, Green Lantern has been kind of busy.

In 2008 we had The Sinestro Corps War, followed by a bit of a lull which was mostly build-up for Blackest Night (this period was collectively known as The War of Light, though it technically began with Green Lantern: Rebirth), an applauded company-wide crisis crossover. And then there was Green Lantern: Brightest Day, Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors, and Green Lantern Corps: Revolt of the Alpha Lanterns. The latter two in particular, while good, continue to confuse me by being promoted under the Brightest Day banner, when neither had anything to do with the overarching plot of that crossover.

My point is that by “busy” I mean that the Green Lantern titles have been filled with almost nothing but either giant, noisy crossovers or huge gazillion part storylines, which was really starting to get tiresome. It’s been nothing but lanterns fighting lanterns and all of this crazy rainbow stuff. Aftermath is responsible for the Green Lantern family of titles’ transition from this sort of thing to smaller, lower key stories. That, I believe, is being done rather well over in the new Green Lantern family of titles, but did the transition itself work out?

Aftermath picks up right where War of the Green Lanterns left off, with Sinestro having been bestowed with Hal Jordan’s power ring, and is once more a Green Lantern. Unsurprisingly, he’s kind of ticked off by this. And he’s not the only one. Everybody is mad at somebody in this story. Kilowog and a lot of the Corps are mad at the Guardians, Soranik Natu is mad at Kyle Rayner, and most of the Corps is really mad at John Stewart for blowing up Mogo in order to save the day. Also, the Guardians were really mad at Hal Jordan for killing Krona, whom they still see as a Guardian (just how moronic can these guys get? Is it a law or something?), which is why they booted him out of the Green Lantern Corps on the spot. Classic Guardians.

This trade chronicles the fallout from all of that, such as a small plot by Soranik Natu and some other GL’s to assassinate Sinestro, plus the last three issues of the old Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors series that really couldn’t go anywhere else, not to mention a one-issue story about a female rookie lantern who teams up with John Stewart.

Now, the thing about War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath is that it isn’t a bad trade altogether, but there’s nothing really outstanding about it. Sure, it ties up a lot of the loose ends from War, but the effort isn’t entirely necessary in view of how the current Green Lantern family of titles seems to be a direct continuation from the old continuity. The one significant tidbit in this book was the resolution of Kyle and Soranik’s recently souring romantic relationship, an issue which really, was not done very well, and I still don’t understand why Soranik was steamed in the first place. Was it because Kyle was forced to get Sinestro for help back when she was kidnapped by the Weaponers of Quard before this crossover started? Was it because she was in a bad mood? Was it because of the whole Jade-being-alive business? I honestly can’t tell. Also, I didn’t really like the way Soranik was drawn in this issue. Her uniform was all wrong and her hair in particular looked terrible. The story with John Stewart and the rookie lantern had a nice premise and was okay, but it kind of fell flat at the end. John’s solution to the problem they’re faced with is rather ridiculous when you think about it. Finally, the Emerald Warriors stories felt rushed and forced, which is too bad because all three of them had the potential to become nice two or even three parters, especially the one where Guy teams up with Batman.

As for the art, most of it was pretty solid in this trade, which is saying something considering just how many artists were involved. But there was this one issue where there were like three different artists drawing this short collection of lower-deck stories, and the art was all over the place on that one. But overall, the art was pretty good.

In spite of my complaints, there were some other upsides to this novel. We got some much deserved panel time for Tomar-Tu, who is actually a pretty cool character. I’m really hoping that the friendship that he strikes up with Kyle continues over in the new continuity. And there was some more great character interaction between Saint Walker and Ganthet. I swear, Ganthet is getting more developed all the time, this being particularly evident in Revolt of the Alpha Lanterns. But these moments are quite sadly far too few and far too fleeting.

Befitting its position as the last Green Lantern-related trade of the pre-Flashpoint era, War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath wraps up a handful of loose ends, has decent art and some well-written character interaction, but that’s about it. Taken as a whole, it is probably the most resoundingly average Green Lantern trade that I’ve ever read.

RATING: 6/10

Front page image from weeklycrisis.com, image 1 from cazgeekreader.blogspot.com, image 2 from majorspoilers.com.

TITLE: Batman Beyond Unlimited
AUTHORS: Adam Beechen, Dustin Nguyen, Derek Fridolfs
PENCILLERS: Norm Breyfogle, Dustin Nguyen
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: February 29, 2012

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Damn. More than a decade after Batman Beyond went off the air, and we’re STILL getting mileage off that cartoon. It just goes to show you how friggin’ hot Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and that whole crew can be sometimes. And to think I initially refused to watch the show because it wasn’t the “real” Batman…

This book promises to expand the “Beyond” universe beyond Terry McGinnis and his role as the Batman of the future. We’ll also see “Superman Beyond” and “Justice League Beyond.” In the distant future (about 50 years, if I recall correctly), the Justice League consists of Superman, Batman (McGinnis), Barda, Warhawk (son of Green Lantern John Stewart and Hawkgirl), Micron (a future version of The Atom) and a Green Lantern that’s sort of a mix between The Last Airbender and a Buddhist monk. This issue, which is split in two, sees Terry, Bruce and Commissioner Barbara Gordon prepare for an attack by an army of Jokerz (a gang fashioned after the Harlequin of Hate). Then, the League takes on the Jokerz and the Kingdom, a gang of human/animal mutations, before investigating a plot to find the missing Micron.

As a guy who grew up reading comics in the ’90s, it’s a great pleasure to see Norm Breyfogle’s pencils in this issue. Breyfogle was a major force on Batman and Detective Comics during that era. He was one of the creators that worked on Tim Drake during his introduction as Robin, and co-created characters like The Ventriloquist, Zsasz and Anarky. It’s wonderful to have him back here, and to see he hasn’t lost a step.

I wasn’t a big fan of Adam Beechen’s work on the Hush Beyond miniseries. I felt like it simply rehashed a lot of the classic characters in the Beyond setting, most notably Dick Grayson and Catwoman. This issue gives me a little more hope, as it adds a new dimension to Terry’s relationship with his girlfriend Dana. Granted, I had hope when Hush Beyond started, so take that with a grain of salt.

As for the Justice League story, it gives us a nice taste of what this version of the League is made of. But at the end of the issue we see that Nguyen and Fridolfs are pulling an element from Justice League Unlimited that makes me wonder if they’re about to harken back more stuff that Timm and company did, as opposed to working to create interesting elements of their own. These Beyond books should ideally strive to be about the newer characters and the obstacles they face. There are only so many times I can pick up book that largely consists of a bunch of old people (Bruce, Barbara, Amanda Waller, etc.) sitting around talking.

In the end, Batman Beyond Unlimited has promise, but so do most books when they start out. If this crew can forge some new ground with these stories, and not simply rehash old stuff, then I’ll be impressed.

 Front page image from comicbookmovie.com. Interior image from newsarama.com.
For more from Dustin Nguyen, check out Wildats Version 3.0: Year One and Batman: Streets of Gotham – The House of Hush.

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Talk about false advertising. When you look at the marketing for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, both back in 1999 and with it’s 3D re-release this year, Darth Maul was and is on everything. Posters, collector cups, action figure packaging, school supplies, everything the Star Wars marketing juggernaut could get its hands on. And for good reason! Darth Maul is a bad ass character! With his black and red tattoos, yellow eyes and multiple horns, he’s as distinct looking a character as you’ll ever find. He’s dressed entirely in black, and he doesn’t say much, which gives him an aura of mystery. And of course, that awesome double-bladed lightsaber. This was going to be awesome! With all the press they were giving him back in ’99, we were certain he was going to be a major part of this new Star Wars film!

Yeah…not so much. The movie is two hours and 11 minutes long. Darth Maul was on screen for roughly 15 minutes total. What’s worse, they killed him off, so we couldn’t hope for more in Episode II. He got sliced in two by Obi-Wan Kenobi, and then his bisected body tumbled down a chasm. Not since Boba Fett was taken accidentally taken down by a blind Han Solo had there been such a travesty of justice in the world of badassery.

Naturally, fans felt cheated by the all too brief cinematic lifespan of Darth Maul. But if you’re a fan of Dark Horse’s Star Wars comic books, you know that Darth Maul has actually been brought back more than once. And this season on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, we’ve seen that Darth Maul is alive and…not well exactly, but he’ll meet his brother Savage Oppress in an upcoming episode.

But how has Darth Maul managed to escape the Grim Reaper so many times? To be fair, the canonicity of these stories has been called into question, and Maul’s appearance in The Clone Wars will only further that speculation. Still, it’s pretty hard to find a death loophole when your character falls into a bottomless pit after being sliced in half. For starters, they used a tried and true resurrection technique: They cloned him.

1. Darth Maul vs. Darth Vader (Star Wars Tales #9, 2001)
How EPIC is this? Coming out of The Phantom Menace, this was the fight that every Star Wars geek wanted to see. Thankfully Ron Marz, Rick Leonardi, and the folks at Dark Horse were ballsy enough to give it to us.

In “Resurrection,” Darth Vader travels to the volcanic planet of Kalakar Six in search of the Death Star plans stolen by the Rebel Alliance. He finds he’s been tricked by a group of Dark Side prophets who believe him unworthy of his position as The Emperor’s apprentice. Their choice to replace him? A clone of Darth Maul!

The fight is actually pretty good from an action standpoint. Our dueling bad guys also have a rather spirited debate as they’re trying to hack each other to bits. Maul says he can see a trace of the light left in Vader, while “My darkness…my hatred…is unending.” He accuses Vader of wearing a mask to hide his unworthiness, and makes a point to call him “Jedi” over and over again. Maul also points out that Obi-Wan trained Vader, but he killed Obi-Wan’s master! Vader shoots him down by pointing out that Obi-Wan was the one that killed Maul.

In the end, Vader is able to claim the victory by turning his lightsaber on himself, and stabbing both he and Maul through the torso with one devastating blow. When a stunned Maul asks him what he could possibly hate so much to be able to defeat him, Vader simply replies: “Myself.” The Emperor then shows up, kills the prophets, and leaves with Vader. It’s implied that The Emperor may have orchestrated the fight, but the story ends at that.

I love the ending to this fight. Without intending to, Marz and Leonardi hinted at forthcoming events in Revenge of the Sith, and later Star Wars books, in which we learn how Vader lives in agonizing regret over his role in the death of his wife. His darkness is all he has left. It’s a great moment, and in the end, the right man won.

2. Darth Maul vs. Luke Skywalker...sort of (Star Wars Tales #17, 2003)
The least satisfying of the Maul resurrections for sure, but it still manages to give off a creepy, menacing vive to make it memorable.

Written by Joe Casey and pencilled by Francisco Paronzini, “Phantom Menaces” is set some time after Return of the Jedi, as Luke Skywalker travels to Iridonia, Maul’s homeworld. He intends to open up new routes to the Outer Rim, but during his stay he’s attacked by a hologram of Darth Maul. With the Force as his guide, Luke finds a scientist who has preserved Maul’s brain and used it to create a holographic visage of him. In the end, Luke deactivates the machines keeping Maul’s brain alive, ending his existence once and for all.

The idea of Maul somehow meeting Luke is a cool scenario, and this is actually an interesting premise. I like the concept of Maul having to suffer in a helpless, bodyless state as karma for his dealings with the Dark Side. I only wish we could have gained a bit of insight as to what Maul was thinking (if he’s even capable of thinking in that state) about the events of Return of the Jedi. His old master is dead, and the Jedi have won the war. How agonizing would that fact have been for him to take in? Particularly in a state like that?

At the very least, “Phantom Menaces” was an interesting idea, if not one fully capitalized on.

3. Darth Maul vs. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Part II (Star Wars: Visionaries, 2005)
My personal favorite of Darth Maul’s resurrections not only sees the character come back with a robotic lower half, but it plays up just how much hate he has inside of him. It’s a beautiful thing!

Set three years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, we find Owen Lars bonding with young Luke Skywalker on the moisture farm, when suddenly a frightening figure appears in the distance. This mechanized Darth Maul incapacitates Lars, and notes that indeed, there is a son. Then he senses a familiar presence nearby, that of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maul recounts how he followed Obi-Wan to Kamino, Geonosis, Mustafar, Polis Massa, and then here to Tatooine. In tracking Obi-Wan down, he actually decapitated Watto! Telling his old enemy that Palpatine knows nothing of where he is, and that it’s only the two of them, the fight is on! It’s a fierce fight, but eventually Obi-Wan is able to put Maul in a vulnerable position, with the butt of his lightsaber pressed against Maul’s forehead. A few tense moments past, as Obi-Wan feels his anger and emotions start to build up. Suddenly, a blaster shot pierces Maul’s skull! Owen Lars has returned and finished the job! Lars then tells Obi-Wan to stay away from them, but we’re left knowing that Obi-Wan is always watching over Luke…

Uncle Owen kills Darth Maul, huh? Never would have called that one.

Still, Aaron McBride’s story was undoubtedly the highlight of the Star Wars: Visionaries graphic novel. I like how Maul’s look was changed up with the longer horns, in addition to the obvious cybernetic enhancements. More importantly, I like the idea that this character was so bound and determined to have his revenge on the man who disabled him that he tirelessly searched for years, undoubtedly fantasizing about this confrontation every day. But in the end, his hate still isn’t enough. Even though Owen Lars ends the fight, Obi-Wan outclasses Maul and gets the victory.

Interestingly enough, in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Maul is being voiced by Sam Witwer, the man who played Starkiller in The Force Unleashed video games.

Here’s a preview…

Front page image from picsaweb.google.com. Image 1 from rottentomatoes.com. Image 2 from comicvine.com. image 3 from eucantina.com. Image 4 and 6 from starwars.wikia.com. Image 5 from grizzlybomb.com. 

TITLE: Nazi Zombies #1
AUTHOR: Joe Wight
PENCILLER: Ben Dunn
PUBLISHER: Antarctic Press
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: February 22, 2012

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Nazi Zombies! Whether it’s a hokey title or not, you’ve got to admit it grabs your attention.

This title uses a familiar premise: The idea that Hitler and the Nazis had a keen interest in the occult and the paranormal. Without getting into great specifics, the issue tells us that in attempting to create a new breed of super soldier, the Nazis have forged their own army of zombies to use against the Allied Powers. Split into two stories, this issue sees two groups of soldiers discover the zombies, one onboard a train, and one in the middle of the desert. The war has taken a turn no one ever thought possible, due to a force no one thought could ever exist.

While the premise may seem like something out of a B-movie, Nazi Zombies takes itself rather seriously. I don’t fault it for that, as the idea of the Nazis creating undead soldiers does make for an interesting premise. But people may be coming into this issue expecting one thing, and getting another. For me, that was a pleasant surprise. But for others it may not be.

Did you know zombies could drive? Drive tanks nonetheless? I didn’t. But that’s what we see in the second half of this issue, which leads me to believe these may not be our average, run of the mill mindless zombies. If they possess a degree of consciousness, that could give this book a bit of a different vibe than The Walking Dead or Key of Z. On the other hand, the tank stunt might have simply been a one-shot deal, or some kind of trick we weren’t completely clued in on. Time will tell.

Ben Dunn is more than capable of providing quality zombie art, as we see in a splash page about midway through. So if pretty pictures of the dead and decaying is what you’re looking for, you’ll find it here.

Nazi Zombies has the potential to be a fun title that delivers the popcorn goods, while hopefully delivering on an intriguing premise. Based on the end of this issue, it looks like the Allies might already have a special anti-zombie task force up and running, which could be interesting if it takes the story into different zombie-infested locales. I enjoyed this title, and it puts a couple of interesting ideas on the table, but I don’t necessarily have high expectations for it. Hopefully it’ll surprise me.

All images from comixology.com. 

TITLE: Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, Vol. 1
AUTHOR: Brian Michael Bendis
PENCILLER: Sara Pichelli
COLLECTS: Portion of Ultimate Fallout #4, Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #1-5
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: Marvel
PRICE: $24.99
RELEASED: February 15, 2012

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

The Miles Morales character hasn’t even been around a year yet, and he’s already one of the most intriguing characters in all of comics, and it’s not jus because he’s a half black, half Latino Spider-Man.

Shortly before Peter Parker’s death at the hands of the Green Goblin and the rest of his rivals, yet another genetically altered spider is stolen from Oscorp. The spider finds its way on to the hand of young Miles Morales, and bites him. Miles, who has just been chosen via lottery to attend a prestigious charter school, quickly develops abilities much like Spider-Man’s, with a few bonuses: He can also become invisible, and deliver a stinging “venom strike.” Miles is initially hesitant to take on a hero role, but after he sees Peter’s death firsthand, he is inspired to succeed him as New York City’s friendly neighborhood web slinger. But is the city ready for a new Spider-Man? And what will Peter’s comrade’s at S.H.I.E.L.D. have to say about this?

George Lucas once compared his two Star Wars trilogies to two stanzas of the same poem, wherein the structure is similar, but the specifics are different. To an extent, it’s the same thing here with the origins of Peter Parker and Miles Morales (only the newer installment isn’t sub-par). They’re both basically good people, with strong moral influences in their lives. They get these incredible powers and don’t know what to do with them. Then tragedy strikes, and they blame themselves for not preventing it. Thus, they have their call to action. Same basic story, different characters, different specifics. I give Bendis a lot of credit for staying true to Spider-Man’s “power and responsibility” values in the creation of the Miles character, while not flat out rehashing Peter’s origin.

Miles’ supporting cast is a nice mix of new and established characters. Unlike Peter, both of his parents are alive as he starts his journey. His father, while seemingly opposed to the existence of mutants, has a solid sense of right and wrong, and tries to instill that in Miles. His best friend Ganke is the first person he tells about his new abilities, and Ganke proves more enthusiastic about Miles’ powers than he initially is. Also in Miles’ life is his uncle Aaron, a thief who calls himself The Prowler (a name Marvel fans may know). Miles trusts his uncle, much to his father’s chagrin. Spider-Woman and Nick Fury both play integral roles here. Gwen Stacy also plays a brief, yet important role.

I’m a big fan of the black and red costume, though we see it very little in this story. It’s a nice hybrid of the classic suit and the black symbiote suit. It’s not nearly as “busy” as the classic suit, and has a nice sleek look to it. Pichelli also does a wonderful job establishing the Miles character, conveying his emotional roller coaster as effectively as one could hope for. What Bagley did for Peter in the original series, Pichelli has done for Miles here. For better or worse, this is her Spider-Man now.

From a collection standpoint, my only real complaint with this volume is that we don’t see very much action. Miles doesn’t officially become Spider-Man until the very end of the book. I’m assuming Marvel was anxious to get this book on the stands so that readers waiting to see how Miles’ story played out could get a look at him, and possibly jump on to the monthly title. That’s understandable, but I wish we could have seen our new Spider-Man in action. He actually apprehends a D-list supervillain in this book, but we skip over the fight itself, which is frustrating.

One of the thing’s that so great about this title is that there’s so much to look forward to. With the original Ultimate Spider-Man book, we had a sense of the broad strokes. We knew who most of the characters were, and to an extent we could predict what would happen to them (Gwen Stacy dies, Eddie Brock becomes Venom, etc). But this is a whole new ball game. Most of the classic characters are still around, but now there are no rules. Bendis can essentially do whatever he wants with whomever he wants. Throw in a new hero that’s very easy to root for, and that’s grounds for very interesting storytelling. I’m very anxious to see what’s next.

Ironic, isn’t it? Peter Parker’s death may make way for some of the most interesting Spider-Man content in quite awhile.

RATING: 9/10

Front page image from marvel.com. Image 1 from marvel.wikia.com. 

TITLE: Road Rage #1
AUTHORS: Stephen King, Joe Hill. Adapted by Chris Ryall.
PENCILLER: Nelson Daniel
PUBLISHER: IDW Publishing
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: February 15, 2012

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Road Rage is a title that’s got a fairly long trail of bread crumbs behind it. It’s a comic book adaptation of a 2009 novella called Throttle by Stephen King and his son Joe Hill, which was inspired by a 1971 TV movie called Duel, which was based on a widely renowned short story of the same name by Richard Matheson. Whether it’s first issue lives up to its lengthy journey comes down to whether or not you have patience, and how much you like big vehicle crashes.

When we open the book, a motorcycle gang called The Tribe is on the hunt for the sister of a man who screwed their leader, Race Adamson, out of the money he made from starting a Meth lab. Race’s father Vince is apprehensive about this course of action, but Race is insistent. Later, on the open road, they run afoul of an 18-wheeler whose driver is shrouded in shadows. When the driver starts looking for blood, things get very, very ugly…

Having no experience with Throttle or Duel, I had to do a little research to fully understand what’s being done here. Duel is a story about a driver being chased by a tanker truck (the film adaptation was actually Stephen Spielberg’s directorial debut). With this story, Stephen King and his son paid homage to Duel by using the same premise in Throttle.

More than half this book consists of dialogue that sets up the conflict between Race and Vince. For yours truly, that was a little tough to get through. I’m not sure if that’s the issue’s fault or mine. Obviously it’s necessary, but somehow it seemed to drag it’s feet. Perhaps it only seems that way when you look at how the issue suddenly hits the gas (no pun intended) at just past the half way point, and things really get interesting. Either way, I don’t necessarily blame the story for it this time around.

Nelson Daniel’s art feels that midway kick as well. There’s no shortage of blood, as you’d likely expect when you’ve got motorcycles crashing like this. It’s easy to feel the impact when a rider meets his demise at high velocity against the pavement. Just think about the last time you drove out on the highway and glanced down at the pavement whizzing by in front of the vehicle…I shudder just thinking about it.

Road Rage gets a slow start, but eventually delivers the thrill quality you’d expect from a Stephen King story, and that’s just in one issue. We’ve still got one to go, plus a two-issue adaptation of Duel!

Front page image from comicbookcritic.net. Interior image from scribd.com. 

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

In the Dick Grayson character’s 70+ years of publication as Robin, Nightwing, and briefly as Batman, he’s had more than his fair share of romances, flirts and flings. Just off the top of my head, I can think of…

1. Barbara Gordon/Batgirl/Oracle
2. Starfire
3. Huntress
4. Cheyenne Freemont
5. Bridget Clancy
6. Tarantula (sort of…)
7. Raya Vestri

But there’s another name on that list that I’m sure both Dick and his fans would love to forget altogether, as it was a byproduct of the often cringe-worthy “camp era” in the ’50s and ’60s: Betty Kane, the original Bat-Girl. And no story better sums up the awkward, and in this case rather creepy nature of their relationship better than “Bat-Mite Meets Bat-Girl” from the pages of Batman #144.

Quick history lesson: In 1954, Seduction of the Innocent by Frederick Wertham was published, a book which, among other slanderous and often ludicrous accusations, referred to Batman and Robin as homosexuals. The book sparked a congressional investigation into comic books, and the industry came under heavy attack. In response, DC Comics not only lightened the tone of Batman’s stories significantly, but they gave him a surrogate family to imply that he was indeed heterosexual. In addition to our dynamic duo and their faithful butler Alfred, we got Kathy Kane/Batwoman, a costumed love interest for Batman. We also got Betty Kane, who convinced her aunt Kathy to train her as Bat-Girl. There was also Bat-Mite, a mischievous imp from the 5th dimension, and Ace the Bat-Hound.

Written by Batman co-creator Bill Finger, and pencilled by the great Dick Sprang, this issue hit the stands in December 1961, less than a year after Bat-Girl’s first appearance the previous Spring. The story starts with Commissioner Gordon telling Batman and Batwoman that they must leave Gotham City immediately in order to testify at a “Senate Crime Committee.” This leaves Robin and Bat-Girl to watch the city. Bat-Girl throws herself at the Boy Wonder almost immediately, but Robin insists he’s “devoted to another woman” (look where they’re standing if you want a clue).

Bat-Girl goes home sobbing. Bat-Mite then appears and promises to help her make Robin fall for her. Over the next few days, the imp helps Bat-Girl impress Robin with her fighting skills, and then make him jealous by getting a kiss from a movie star (who oddly enough, looks a bit like Jimmy Olsen…). They then plot to make him worry for her by staging a kidnapping, but Bat-Girl manages to get kidnapped by real thugs in the process. Robin and Bat-Mite come to the rescue.

Later, Robin tells her that the “other woman” in question is in fact the statue of justice. Like Batman, Robin is convinced he can’t get involved with a woman because his commitment to crime-fighting is full time. Just then, Batman and Batwoman show up. Batman tells him that he’s got plenty of time for sacrifice when he’s an adult, and that basically he should get some while the gettin’s good. Bat-Mite heads home, leaving Robin looking rather annoyed and perplexed, I guess chicks and imps will do that to a guy.

Now, I realize I’m talking about a story from a different era, by two of the all time greats. But with that in mind…

1. When you consider Batman, Batwoman, Robin, and Bat-Girl, there’s an obvious implied father/mother/son/daughter dynamic going on there. But if the intent was to create a family dynamic, doesn’t the Robin/Bat-Girl pairing have somewhat incestual implications? That’s kind of like Greg Brady hooking up with Marsha, isn’t it? Granted, none of these people are actually blood relatives. But still, it’s a little weird.

2. Old school Commissioner Gordon was kind of a douche in this issue, wasn’t he? He calls everybody into his office, and seemingly on a whim tells Batman and Batwoman that absolutely have to go do this Senate committee thing. ‘Cause, you know, they couldn’t have had any plans over the next three days… Incidentally, why did he need to send Batwoman? Are you really trying to sell me that Batman couldn’t have handled it by himself? He IS the goddamn Batman after all…

Also, he makes a point of telling Robin and Bat-Girl to patrol the city while the adults are gone. As opposed to, you know, the cops. Some police commissioner he turned out to be, leaving his city in the hands of a couple of scantily clad teenagers in pixie boots.

3. Robin is clearly not into Bat-Girl, which might actually bring up more questions about his sexuality than reassurances. That whole “I’m devoted to justice 100 percent” thing is a total cop out. So what’s the deal? He’s NOT interested in the leggy blonde who’s falling all over herself and making deals with imps just to get him to notice her? Sheesh, is this what chicks were like in the ’60s? Somebody get me a flux capacitor.

But you know what? I’m actually with Robin on this one. I’d have made up some B.S. story too. Why? Because Bat-Girl is FRIGGIN’ INSANE! Seriously honey, the floor of the Batcave called. It wants it’s bat shit back! All this girl can think about is Robin! She’s like one of those twisted stalker chicks from the movies, only in a cape and mask. If I’m the Boy Wonder, I’m lockin’ this babe up next to The Joker. Yeah, good call on this one Gordon. Leave Robin to defend the city with this chick…

Perhaps thankfully, Bat-Girl only appeared in six stories before DC’s then-editorial director Carmine Infantino began revamping Batman and his world in 1964. Gone were Bat-Girl, Ace the Bat-Hound, and for quite awhile Bat-Mite as well. Batwoman disappeared too, only to return briefly in the ’70s to be murdered by Ra’s al Ghul’s League of Assassins.

Obviously Betty Kane’s successor, Barbara Gordon, would go on to be a much more successful and beloved character. But there are certainly those who have a soft spot for her, and other elements from the camp era. At the very least, stories like this have made her…*ahem*…memorable.

Front page image from dc.wikia.com. Nightwing/Huntress image from fyeahdickgrayson.tumblr.com. Image 3, 5 and 6 from comics101.com. Image 4 from titanstower.com. 

TITLE: Rust: Visitor in the Field
AUTHOR/ARTIST: Royden Lepp
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: Archaia Entertainment
PRICE: $24.95
RELEASED: December 13, 2011

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Rust: Visitor in the Field takes a frequently-visited cultural motif, man vs. machine, and uses it to tell a story about the things we may be willing to risk when our backs are against the wall.

Years after his country (America?) used mechanized soldiers to help them win the devastating world war, young Roman Taylor finds himself struggling to keep his family’s farm running after the death of his father. Then one day, a boy (or at least he looks like a boy) wearing an aviator cap, goggles and a jet pack, flies into Roman’s field as he’s being chased by a giant robot! His name is Jet Jones. We know very little about him, with the exception that he claims to have been a part of the war. But he appears to be so young, so how can that be possible? In the aftermath of this encounter, Roman realizes that this giant robot, as well as a smaller counterpart, could potentially hold the key to saving the farm. But something isn’t right about these robots. There is an unseen, unspoken menace about them…

One of the things Rust does very well is emphasize the fantastic, wondrous nature of this giant robot that, for some reason, is attacking Jet Jones. Lepp’s art gives us a variety of perspectives, and is quite detailed when it comes to the little intricacies on this big honkin’ thing. The robots, big and small, all have a certain mystique about them that you rarely find. The only adequate comparison that comes to mind is The Iron Giant. Perhaps that’s because we know so little about them. In any event, it works very well.

Lepp also does a wonderful job developing the Roman character. He feels very real. This is a young man who feels trapped under the burden of the adult responsibilities thrust upon him after the death of his father. The robots seem like a way to lift that burden. But at what risk? It’s a great dilemma that, in addition to the mysteries and the things we’re not told, really fuels the book from a storyline perspective.

There’s a lot about the world of Rust that we don’t know. We don’t know much about the war, except that it involved robots and humans. Jet Jones is, for the most part, a mystery (though we seem to learn something pretty substantial at the end of this book). We don’t know a lot about Roman’s father either, except that he’s gone. These aren’t plot holes, but mysteries that Lepp uses to keep us turning the pages. That’s an element I wasn’t expecting to find in this book. It was a tremendously pleasant surprise.

Another pleasant surprise? Rust is a bit on the quiet side. Large portions of the book have no dialogue, giving full focus to Lepp’s art. There’s a real beauty to silent comics that I think goes unappreciated by many. Sometimes, those pesky words just get in the way…

Visitor in the Field is clearly meant to be the first chapter of a larger story, which I’m very interested to read. The man vs. machine theme is hardly new. But Lepp executes it so well, with intriguing characters, a great sense of foreboding and lovely artwork, that Rust has a great charm to it. Is it the best book you’ll ever read? No. But it’s pretty damn good.

RATING: 8.5/10

Front page image from cinemaaonline.com. Interior image from ifanboy.com. 

TITLE: Thief of Thieves
AUTHOR: Robert Kirkman, Nick Spencer
PENCILLER: Shawn Martinbrough
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASED: February 8, 2012

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

This is one of only two debut issues I’ve ever read in which the little essay the creator writes after the presentation is more interesting than the presentation.

After the last page of Thief of Thieves, Robert Kirkman dedicates a page to an essay (for lack of a better term) called “I believe in comic books.” He talks about how comic books are so much more than just superheroes and “muscle-y dues or muscle-y ladies slamming each other into buildings of punching a battleship.” He says that while he loves this kind of material, 60-70 percent of the comics on the market feature “old superheroes, stale musty ideas from the middle of the century or later.” He plays up the importance of the industry offering non-superhero titles, so that comics can appeal to a larger audience, and eventually become as widely received as movies and TV.

“You’d never describe someone as a movie fan — everyone watches movies. THAT should be our goal for comics, as retailers, fans and creators.”

While Kirkman is absolutely right with his notion that the industry needs to expand in order to thrive, I actually found myself getting a little defensive reading his words about superhero books. I’m positive he didn’t mean what he said to offend anyone. But as someone who really loves superhero books, I couldn’t help but be a bit taken aback by what he said, specifically the “stale, musty” comment. I’ve always considered many of the major superhero books on the market today as products of characters and ideas that have continuously evolved over the course of their existence. Some more than others obviously, and I won’t deny that some of them could use a healthy overhaul. But I can’t help but take it a bit to heart when someone calls something I love, and has been loved by many for decades, stale or outdated.

That’s all I’ve got on that front, really. I’m not slamming Kirkman. I just needed to get that off my chest.

That being said, Thief of Thieves is alright. It’s a Kirkman idea, scripted by Nick Spencer. Our main character, Redmond, is a thief extraordinaire. In this issue, we see he and his apprentice/assistant Celia pull a heist, then we see how the duo met for the first time, and at the end of the issue we get a big swerve to pull us back in for next time.

The only major problem I had with this issue is the fact that I wasn’t sold on the idea that Redmond is this amazing thief that all the other characters say he is. I was looking for something impressive to pique my interest in this debut issue. The  ”How Celia and Redmond Met” scene (the scenes all have title cards, which is kind of cool) consists mostly of Redmond finding Celia trying to steal his car, and then showing her how it should be done, as well as how to find a car worth stealing in the first place. That’s all well and good, but this is supposed to be a heist comic, isn’t it? Yes, we see a heist at the beginning, but it seems to show the strength of a group of thieves, rather than one special thief.

On the plus side, I enjoyed Redmond’s interactions with Celia, as well as Martinbrough’s art (Celia’s face in the third panel on the page at left is adorable). There seems to be a problem with the placement of Redmond’s arm on the final page, but that had to be pointed out to me before I noticed it.

I’m not suggesting Thief of Thieves doesn’t have the potential to be good, or even great. I certainly appreciate the art of the slow buildup, but the strongest investment I have in this story after reading this issue is the relationship between Redmond and Celia. Thus, when we get our big swerve at the end involving Redmond, it’s not as impactful as it could be because I don’t have a sense of how he does his job, or how good a thief he is. If I’m writing a book called Thief of Thieves, those are my first priorities. Just sayin’.

All images from newsarama.com.