TITLE: Justice League: Cry For Justice
AUTHOR: James Robinson,
PENCILLERS: Mauro Cascioli, Scott Clark, Ibraim Roberson
COLLECTS: Justice League: Cry For Justice #1-7
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $24.99
RELEASE DATE: June 2

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Cry For Justice is a story about ethics among superheroes, the right thing to do versus the wrong thing to do. It asks questions about brutality, torture, and of course, the big question every fanboy asks at some point…

Why doesn’t the hero just kill the villain, and end the threat once and for all?

The premise is great. But the execution is kinda weird.

By my estimation, this story begins shortly after Final Crisis, and ends shortly after Blackest Night. So you’ve got to figure this book spans at least a couple of months. Angered after the deaths of Batman and Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) demands the Justice League start living up to its name, and start taking on a more proactive agenda against evil, as opposed to simply putting out fires. When the League disagrees, Hal and Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) strike out on their own. Eventually, their little band of rebels grows to include The Atom (Ray Palmer), Supergirl and Captain Marvel, Starman and Congorilla (He’s a talking gorilla. That’s right, got a problem with that?)

Art from ComicBoxCommentary.com.

The group investigates a plot involving dozens of supervillains, led by Prometheus, a villain who can exploit the weaknesses of the JLA using an advanced computer program that feeds information directly into his brain. Though the heroes take Prometheus lightly at first, the ramifications of what he does in this story will likely be felt for a long time.

The core story in this book, the one dealing with ethics and conduct, has a lot of meat to it and is very interesting. But it feels like there’s a lot of fat that could have been trimmed.

It should be noted that this group of heroes was originally going to be something of a Justice League B-Squad, an internal affairs type group. That idea was approved, but later nixed. I feel like James Robinson may have started writing the book as a smaller-scale story, then abruptly had the rug pulled out from under him, and had to blow it up. I say that because when the book’s climax begins, the core team has been joined by several additional heroes in the fight against Prometheus. It basically becomes a giant free-for-all.

Also, the dialogue during the first half of the book is inexplicably awkward and…wordy. There’s really no other way to put it. Robinson usually doesn’t have a problem with dialogue, but it feels like he came down with Revenge of the Sith syndrome here.

A brief example: There’s a scene where Supergirl comes in and saves Green Lantern from an attack. Hal says: “All right Supergirl, here you are. And you saved my life — much appreciated by the way. But I still have to ask — Are you here now as a hero…or as a villain?”

See? Needlessly wordy, not to mention corny. In any other book, I bet that quote would have been cut in half. But for some reason those kind of lines pop up all over Cry For Justice.

You’re also expected to know who most (if not all) of these heroes are when you open the book. One of the biggest plot twists in the book involves Red Arrow, Green Arrow’s former sidekick, who doesn’t even come into the book until about the halfway point.

Still, it has it’s high points. One thing nobody can take away from the book is the art of Mauro Cascioli. It’s among the best I’ve seen in the modern era. During the latter half of the book, Scott Clark inexplicably takes over for a bit, which I take as yet another indicator that this book didn’t go as planned.

Robinson’s portrayal of Congorilla is charming, and the scenes in which The Atom tortures the villains are very intriguing. Also, despite the book’s flaws, the ending packs a major punch.

Though it certainly helped shape events to come in the DCU (particularly for Green Arrow and Red Arrow) Cry For Justice had a very flimsy execution. It’s a good story, but only if you look hard enough.

RATING: 5.5/10

TITLE: Superman: New Krypton, Volume 4
AUTHORS: James Robinson, Greg Rucka
PENCILLER: Pete Woods. Cover by Bryan Talbot.
COLLECTS: Superman: World of New Krypton #6-12
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $24.99
RELEASE DATE: June 2

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Superman in a political thriller? Talk about a fish out of water…

Nevertheless, that’s where the former last son of Krypton finds himself in New Krypton, Volume 4. As you might have guessed, this book picks up where Superman: New Krypton, Volume 3 leaves off.

Superman is on the shelf for now, as Kal El suddenly finds himself the leader of New Krypton’s armies after an attempt is made on the life of a major Kryptonian official. But it doesn’t end there, as Kal must deal with other worlds who are angered by New Krypton’s actions, as well as a mysterious assassin determined to murder members of the planet’s high council. Who is behind this turmoil, and what does it have to do with General Sam Lane, Superman’s own father-in-law?

I’ll tell ya, it’s those in-laws that’ll get cha every time…

The cool thing about the World of New Krypton miniseries is that it takes Superman completely out of his element. In this book, he’s not a superhero anymore. He’s a general commanding an army. He answers to high council members, and functions amongst tension between Kryptonian social guilds. He’s weaved into the political fabric of society more than he ever was on Earth. He still flies, and moves faster than a speeding bullet, and all that stuff. But the context is completely different now that there are 100,000 other people around him that can do the exact same thing.

From the start, I think one of the purposes of this New Krypton story line has been to emphasize that Superman is not just a walking weapon. He’s a hero, a protector, a peacekeeper. How many times have you heard people say: Superman’s a pussy,” or “Without his powers, Superman is nothing.” I like to think part of the New Krypton story line is aimed at readers like that, because books like this show that underneath all his special abilities, Kal El truly has an iron will, and an unbreakable desire for to see virtue prosper.

Art from ComicArtCommunity.com.

The tough thing about any political thriller is that sometimes it’s very easy to get confused and lost in all the mumbo jumbo. That happened to me a little bit during this book. At the end, I had some trouble discerning exactly who the big bad guy was, and what exactly his motivations were. There’s a little bit of backtracking that’s a little hard to follow.

Also, Pete Woods has never been that high on my list of artists, but for some reason, DC seems to love him on Superman titles. The art in this book does what it needs to, but I think someone like Ramon Bachs or Jamal Igle would have been more satisfying. At least to me personally.

In a way, it’s hard to judge books in the New Krypton series, because a lot of them don’t come to a truly conclusive ending. For instance, at the end of New Krypton, Volume 4, we get a major cliffhanger that leads into the next chapter, Last Stand of New Krypton. It’s kind of like reviewing a chapter in a novel.

But for what it’s worth, I think New Krypton, Volume 4 is a decent accomplishment on the part of DC Comics. It proves a character like Superman doesn’t always have to be punching bad guys in order to be a success. He also works on different levels. And that’s a good thing, to say the least.

RATING: 6.5/10

Front page image from ComicArtCommunity.com.

By Adam Testa
Staff Writer, Secret Weapon

A new age has dawned for the Marvel Universe.

The smoke of the superhero civil war has finally cleared, the traitorous Norman Osborn has been removed from his post as president and outed as the Green Goblin and faith has been restored in the world’s caped crusaders and masked marauders.

Now, each hero – and villain, for that matter – has begun adjusting to life in this new Heroic Age.

The Avengers have reformed, bringing together heroes that fought on opposite sides of the devastating war that ripped the superhero community apart. Shortly after coming back together, however, they’ve been given a grave warning about their children and the future.

Steve Rogers, back from his stint being trapped in another dimension and relinquishing his Captain America identity to former partner Bucky Barnes, has been tapped as the new head of national security. First order of business? Form a secret strikeforce to relocate stolen mythological items… on Mars.

Tony Stark’s memory has been reset to a time prior to the onset of his civil war pro-registration mentality. Trying to reignite friendships and allegiances, he announces plans to formally close the bankrupt Stark Industries and launch a new company, Stark Resilient, which will focus on developing alternative energy sources for America and the world.

Luke Cage has been assigned to coordinate an effort to relaunch the Thunderbolts initiative at The Raft, where he’s recruiting and attempting to reform a who’s who of villain. In the end, though, can the bad guys be trusted?

Reed Richards has also taken on responsibility for his own group, though his pupils are much younger. The Fantastic Four leader has brought children of each of four different races and backgrounds together in the Baxter Building for his own course in the future.

And when many masked men and women are settling back into their roles as heroes, one individual is less than thrilled to see the “good guys” returning to power. Once being a hero became the unpopular thing to do, Deadpool jumped on the bandwagon, launching his own attempt at building a heroic reputation. But now that everyone’s back on their games, one’s left to wonder where the mysterious Deadpool will lean.

These heroes aren’t alone. All their counterparts are also readjusting to a normal life, and their stories will continue to unfold as Marvel unveils more of the Heroic Age story arcs through the summer. But this time, the heroes aren’t making a comeback alone. This writer has long admired the comic genre but never committed to purchasing and loyally following each and every issue.

The Civil War saga caught my attention, and I followed it through the trade paperbacks, but in the aftermath, my attention span ended and never followed Dark Reign or The Siege. With Marvel launching a new direction and beginning several new series, I thought this would be an appropriate time to jump back in the deep end and swim.

From reading online reports and comments, it seems many dismissed the concept of the Heroic Age before it even began, claiming it directly correlates with the purchase of Marvel by the Disney empire. Having read about nine or ten titles from this new era already, I can attest that the beautiful artwork and skillful writing of these tales still serves its purpose in creating compelling stories and bringing vibrant personalities to life.

I look forward to joining these men and women on their adventures, fighting along side them as they combat the enemy and laughing at their lighter moments. Needless to say at this point, I have become hooked on comics like I’ve never been before. Just one week ago, I vowed not to become “that guy” who arrives at the comic shop minutes after they open.

I have already broken that promise.

And, perhaps most importantly, I look forward to bringing you – the loyal readers of Primary Ignition - on this journey with me. In the future, I hope to write reviews, commentary and more on the Marvel Universe, and I truly appreciate all feedback, comments and even blatant slander that you will provide. And if you prefer Batman, Superman and Aquaman to Iron Man, Captain America and Thor, check out the masterful writings of Rob Siebert, who captures the essence of the DC landscape like very few can.

Until next time, Avengers assemble…

Front page image from comicbookmovie.com.

TITLE: Captain America: Reborn
AUTHOR: Ed Brubaker
PENCILLER: Bryan Hitch
COLLECTS: Captain America: Reborn #1-6
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics
PRICE: $24.99
RELEASE DATE: April 7

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

This book felt…familiar.

And no, it’s not because it centers around the resurrection of Steve Rogers, the original Captain America. Rogers was killed off in 2007 following Marvel’s ginormongous company-wide event, Civil War. Rogers’ old sidekick, James “Bucky” Barns would eventually pick up the shield.

But in this book, we learn that Captain America did NOT die. Long story short, thanks to some nanotechnology invented by Dr. Doom, he’s trapped in the space-time continuum, reliving the major events in his life. This was all orchestrated by Rogers’ arch enemy, Red Skull, who when we open this book is trapped in a robotic body. With Doom’s help, he hopes to transfer his consciousness into Steve Rogers’ body, and become the leader of the Dark Avengers.

To me, this book felt very reminiscent of Geoff Johns’ work on Green Lantern: Rebirth and The Flash: Rebirth. I’m not suggesting Brubaker piggybacked on the Johns wave, because he’s a great storyteller in his own right. And obviously, all three stories have the same central theme: Rebirth, Reborn, you get the idea. Still, I couldn’t help but think: “Hey, I’ve read something like this before…”

Art from Captain America: Reborn #1.

Though the idea of Steve Rogers not actually dying, but being sent back in time seems a little corny (we actually SAW the bullets hit him, didn’t we?), it does provide good fodder for storytelling. The good Captain re-living some of his life’s defining moments, while essentially sitting in the passenger’s seat in his own mind, unable to change anything, allows the audience to get to see where the character’s emotional strengths and vulnerabilities are. I appreciated that, as I opened this book without much exposure to the main Marvel Universe (meaning I usually stick to the Ultimate line).

Red Skull comes out of this book looking great. There’s a really nice battle sequence that takes place in front of the Lincoln Memorial, where Bucky Barns faces off against Skull, whose consciousness is in Rogers’ body. We simultaneously get to see Bucky fighting Skull physically, while Rogers takes him on mentally. It’s a really clever scene.

Fittingly enough, like The Flash: Rebirth, Reborn drags a bit when it comes to explaining what actually happened to our fallen hero, and how he can come back. It gets a bit convoluted at times. Still, I give credit to Marvel for not actually killing Rogers. In a way, I prefer the convoluted technical explanation, as opposed to just saying: “He came back to life.”

I much prefer Brubaker’s more grounded work on gritty crime comics, but he turns in a nice story here. Fans with a decent knowledge of the Marvel Universe should appreciate it. For those of us who aren’t, if you concentrate on the main characters, you can still get a pretty good story out of it.

RATING: 7/10

“Comics You Should Be Reading” is a new column, exclusive to Primary Ignition, in which Seth Miller talks about the comics that you should pick up RIGHT NOW.

TITLE: Atomic Robo
AUTHOR: Brian Clevinger
ARTIST: Scott Wegener
PUBLISHER: Red 5 Comics

When I go to the comic shop on Wednesday, there are a few comic books that I never leave the store without. Anything Green Lantern related, Captain America, The Goon, and whatever Brian K. Vaughan writes. But there is one comic I will always get no matter what: Atomic Robo.

Granted, the title sounds pretty lame, the book is full humor, action, and references to every concept in sci-fi, comics and geek culture. The series follows the adventures of Atomic Robo, a robot developed in 1923 by Nikola Tesla who develops emotions and goes on to create Tesladyne, a corporation that develops experimental technology and fight threats that no one else can deal with. The book covers Robo’s various adventures from the 1920s to the present day as he fights with enemies like super-intelligent dinosaurs, Nazi scientists, Cthulu, and Stephen Hawking.

Writer Brian Clevinger takes the reader back to a time before comics like Watchmen, when comics were about the insane situations that our characters get into while combining it with some modern sensibilities and smart-ass humor. The storylines are designed for those that want something different than the traditional narrative of today’s comics, which are filled with retcons, deaths & resurrections, Grant Morrison going apeshit on continuity, or just setups for another big event series that is “going to change the comic book universe.” Atomic Robo is a welcome relief to comic fans by not just providing action and storylines free from the trends in other comics, but by giving the fans a comic that sounds like they wrote it.

Atomic Robo #2, page 4. Art from DragonManComics.com.

When Robo fights Nazi robots, giant bugs, or even Thomas Edison; whatever Robo says is pretty much what a comic book reader would say in that situation. In the first issue, a Nazi scientist has a magic heart implanted in his own chest to give him superpowers, and he brags about it. Robo then thanks him for telling him about his weakness and blows the heart up with lightning gun. Robo is speaking for the comic book fan, and the character pulls it off.

The art is good but not as great as the writing. Artist Scott Wegener’s work compliments Clevinger’s writing and does a good job of representing the action in the book. But aside from that there is nothing really that stands out about the art. It’s clear that the art is definitely getting better as the series continues, but it is still not equal to the writing.

While the art may not be the best, Clevinger creates an insane world that is suited for a sarcastic robot whom, despite his vast intelligence, will always solve his problems with the proper balance punches, guns, and smashing cars. This is definitely a cult favorite and it should be the biggest comic on the market. Know how it can become the biggest comic today? It involves you comic book lovers going to your store and demanding that they sell Atomic Robo, and purchasing the trade paperbacks.

For Tesladyne, for action science, for Robo!

Front page image from MichaelMay.us.

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Capcom-Unity.com has posted new screenshots from its upcoming fighting game, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds.

Like its predecessors, the game will feature characters from both Marvel and Capcom competing against/teaming with one another. The game will feature 3D graphics in a 2D environment. Characters already confirmed for the game include Captain America, Wolverine, Hulk, Iron Man, and Deadpool from Marvel, plus Ryu, Chris Redfield, Dante, Felicia and Morrigan Aensland from Capcom.

The game is tentatively scheduled for a spring 2011 release on XBox and PS3.

The following photos come courtesy of Capcom-Unity.com. (Click to enlarge.)

TITLE: War of the Supermen
AUTHORS: James Robinson, Sterling Gates
PENCILLERS: Jamal Igle, Eduardo Pansica, Cafu, Eddy Barrows
ISSUES: War of the Supermen #0-4
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
AVAILABLE IN BOOK FORMAT:Late 2010/Early 2011

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

The war is over. And boy, were there casualties.

General Zod and his army of Kryptonians are on their way to Earth, preparing to wreak havoc on the human race. About halfway into the first issue, Reactron uses some Lex-Luthor-technology to set his armor to self destruct and blow up New Krypton, taking everyone but Supergirl, who is enclosed in a protective chamber, with him. Supergirl goes into a rage, as the Kryptonian army takes the fight to Superman on Mars.

Under General Same Lane’s direction, Lex Luthor shocks everybody by temporarily turning the sun red, leaving a bunch of powerless Kryptonians drifting in space. To Nightwing’s horror, Flamebird sacrifices herself to turn the sun yellow again and give the Kryptonians their power back. From there, the battle for Earth begins as Zod’s forces invade Earth…

I won’t give away the ending, but overall, this turned out to be a pretty solid Superman story. I’m not sure this arc alone was worth the two years of build up, but it had all the ingredients of an epic. There were big battles, characters lived, characters died, and it was fun to read. It put Superman near the top of my reading pile again, which is obviously where DC wants him to be.

Art from DeviantArt.com.

The artists all did their jobs well. There’s so much hefty emotion that needs to be conveyed, especially in the first two issues, and their respective issues compliment one another very well. Eddy Barrows comes out looking the best, if only by a small margin. He did the majority of the covers, and he does a great job with the wild, angry faces Superman and Zod have in various scenes.

One thing I didn’t like about the story was in issue 3, James Robinson and Sterling Gates used a dramatic tool that’s become cliche over the years: they attacked world landmarks. Big Ben in London, the Sphinx in Egypt and the White House in America.  This is especially true with the White House. They used this technique in Amazons Attack! a couple of years ago, and it just felt cheap. You can only show the White House in shambles so many times before it becomes cliche. Plus, it’s in mildly bad taste.

However, in these same scenes, they also used a tool I thought was very effective: Instead of giving the characters dialouge, they tied all the various threads together by using snippets of various newscasts. The proclamation that “…British Prime Minister is dead!” was a little much, but overall, it was very effective.

The way they got rid of some of the Kryptonians seemed like a little bit of a cop out, but I suppose it was a natural progression of the story they were telling, without having it get incredibly violent and (literally) Earth-shattering.

It’s hard to say where this leaves the characters going forward. Superman returns to his own book next month in Superman #700, and Lex Luthor takes over for Nightwing & Flamebird in Action Comics next month. While almost all the Kryptonians are now gone, there’s no clear indication as to whether the public still harbors its anti-Kryptonian sentiment. It appears Superman is going to be conflicted about continuing his never-ending battle when J. Michael Straczynski takes over next month. Supergirl seems like she needs extensive therapy after everything that happened with her. Seriously, this girl had a planet blow up, WHILE SHE WAS STILL ON IT. Can she get in to see the Dalai Lama or something? Or at least a guest spot on Dr. Phil?

Overall, War of the Supermen managed to be high emotionally-charged action, which is something that’s not always easy to achieve. I wasn’t floored by it, but it was good. Not great, but good.

RATING: 7/10

TITLE: Superman #245
AUTHORS: Edmond Hamilton, Gardner Fox, et al.
ARTISTS: Curt Swan, Carmine Infanito, Al Plastino, Gil Kane, et al.
COLLECTS: Superman #167 (Feb. 1964), Kid Eternity #3 (Autumn, 1946), The Atom #3 (Oct.-Nov., 1962), All-Star Western #117 (Feb.-Mar. 1961), Detective Comics #66 (Aug., 1942), Mystery in Space #88  (Feb. 1964), Superman #87 (Feb. 1954)
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
ORIGINAL PRICE: 50 cents
RELEASE DATE: December 1971-January 1972

By Mike Bessler
Contributor, Commisar of Comic Book History

Superman #245 is one of those books that you might easily overlook as you thumb through the dollar box of your local comic shop. It’s basically a collection of reprints issued as a “DC 100 Page Super Spectacular,” a format that was moderately popular in the early 1970’s. We all know that reprints rarely accrue much in the way of value even after several decades. But what makes this particular issue a  true “hidden gem” is the sheer volume of reading material and classic comic art in this inexpensive volume.

Please bear with me as I provide a self-indulgent flashback of what this book means to me:  When I was much younger (say 12 or 13 years old) there weren’t many comic shops near my home. My best bet of landing back issues back then was the few times a year when the local shopping mall would host an “antique show” in which various and sundry dealers would set up kiosks full of their wares throughout the building. The collectibles booths were always my favorite places to visit and I could always count on one or two comic dealers showing up.

I distinctly remember buying my copy of Superman #245 as part of a “five for a dollar” deal from one of these “antique show” comic book sellers. I don’t remember any of the other books I got that day but I do remember walking away from the booth with my mom feeling like she had just given me a bag full of treasures. Never mind that my new-found Superman #245 had a huge strip missing from the cover, (looking as if someone had stuck a piece of masking tape across it and then slowly and painfully peeled it off);  Never mind the fact that it was well-read, dinged up and generally falling apart;  Never mind it was a collection of reprints; Superman #245 was a special find on a special day and, yeah, it’s got a lot of sentimental value in that respect. On top of all that, though, it was absolutely crammed full of Golden Age and Silver Age material and I have appreciated the vintage material from an early age.

The linchpin of this collection is the three-part “novel” entitled “The Team of Luthor and Brainiac,” which is reprinted from Superman #167 (Feb. 1964). This is a multifaceted tale featuring a team-up of Superman’s most diabolical foes.  Although Luthor and Brainiac eventually get the jump on Supes, their partnership starts to unravel as a result of the mutual mistrust that super-villain types tend to experience when working together. The Man of Tomorrow tips the scales back in his favor when he garners an assist from Kandor’s “army of Supermen.”  Later in the tale, the Kandorians themselves ultimately capture Brainiac and put him on trial for high crimes against the Kryptonian people…with Lex Luthor acting as as defense counsel for the accused!

Yes, folks…This one’s got it all. Everything that one should expect in a pre-Crisis Superman yarn is contained in this three-chapter page-turner, including a trip to the Fortress of Solitude, a visit to the miniature Kryptonian city of Kandor, journeys to fantastic far-off worlds, amazing secret weapons and astounding feats of super-strength. Along the way, readers learn the secret origins of Brainiac as well as Brainiac 5 (of the Legion of Super Heroes).

As if all that wasn’t enough, this collection includes some fabulous tales featuring some relatively obscure heroes of the 1940’s. Kid Eternity #3 (Autumn 1946) pits Kid Eternity and his sidekick Keep against a gang of art thieves who have heisted Rembrandt’s celebrated painting, “The Night Watch.” Our hero gets a helping hand against the thugs from the likes of Nostradamus, Socrates, Jevert Dusty and a number of other historical figures and fictional characters, all of whom are conjured when Kid exclaims the magic word, “Eternity!” The creepy and almost ethereal artwork of artist Mac Raboy (who did some of his best work in Fawcett-era Captain Marvel Jr. stories) gives this story an uncommon feel, transcending the “campiness” that’s often associated with Golden Age material.

Golden Age hero Air Wave makes an appearance in this anthology in a story entitled “The Adventure of the Shooting Spooks” from Detective Comics #66 (Aug., 1942). In this tale, Air  Wave’s alter ego Larry Jones is framed for the murder of the city D.A. through the chicanery of a gang of sheet-wearing “spooks” and  Air Wave and his feathered pal Static have to bust out of the clink to bring the real killers to justice.

This 100-Page Giant also includes a batch of Silver Age goodness, including “The Crowning of Super-Chief” from All-Star Western #117 (Feb.-Mar. 1961). This unusual epic re-presents the first appearance and origin of American Indian hero Super Chief.

Later in this issue, Hawkman does battle with a free-wheeling bandit in “The Super-Motorized Menace” from Mystery in Space #88. If you’ve ever wondered how a guy with wings would fare in a battle against a crook who can create tornado-force winds with the exhaust from his motorcycle, this tale answers that question once and for all. Really.

The Atom takes on “Genius of Time” Chronos in the story from “The Time Trap,” reprinted from The Atom #3 (Oct.-Nov., 1962). I’ve never been the biggest fan of The Atom but you just can’t go wrong with a story written by longtime Golden Age Flash creator Gardner Fox and penciled by legendary artist Gil Kane. Incidentally, Chronos sports one of my favorite super-villain costumes of all time, looking like something of a cross between Kang the Conqueror and The Royal Flush Gang (How’s that for a geeky reference, y’all?)

Rounding out Superman #245 is another tale starring the Man of Steel himself. “The Prankster’s Greatest Role” was originally presented in Superman #87 (Feb. 1954) and it’s a vintage story from the close of comicdom’s Golden Age. If The Joker and Mr. Mxyzptlk could somehow have a kid, the offspring would probably look a lot like the whimsical evildoer known as The Prankster. In typical fashion, The Prankster torments and extorts the hapless Metropolis bourgeoisie only to be opposed – and ultimately thwarted — by the fabled “Only Son of Krypton.”  Is it predictable? Sure. But it’s fun all the same!

For my money, Superman #245 is the stuff of wonderfully lazy summer afternoons. True enthusiasts of the super hero genre can easily kill several hours in a lawn chair or hammock as they digest some classics of pop culture. As a kid, I re-read my tattered old copy of this comic book over and over again. Over 20 years later, I found a nicer copy at a comic shop I was more than happy to shell out another buck or two so that I’d have a backup copy that would look swell on my “wall of fame.” Thing is, I’ve read that one a few times over that past few years too and now it’s showing all the signs of a well-read copy, too. Yep, that’s how much I love this comic book. After all, these things are for reading…aren’t they?

By the way:  Thanks Mom..24 years later!

TITLE: Titans: Fractured
AUTHORS: Eric Wallace, Christopher Yost, Pat McCallum, Bryan Q. Miller, J.T. Krul, Mike Johnson
ARTISTS: Mike Shoyket, Angel Unzueta
COLLECTS: Titans #14 and #16-22
FORMAT: Softcover
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $17.99
RELEASE DATE: May 26

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Uh oh, the Titans are breaking up…

Not the Teen version, mind you. These are just the Titans, the team that consists mostly of the heroes assembled under the Wolfman/Perez regime in the ’80s and ’90s. They were re-assembled in 2008 for a monthly book simply called Titans. But it imploded fairly quickly, as the various heroes kept getting pulled into other titles and different stories by different editorial teams.

As a result, for about 10 months DC simply decided to make Titans a “spotlight” book, with each month highlighting a certain member. Fractured collects those stories, which take place as the team slowly begins to realize they are drifting apart. Then at the end, Cyborg and Starfire take on a villain that has invaded Titans HQ.

Cover to Titans #17. Art from Comicartcommunity.com

The stories feature Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, Red Arrow, and Donna Troy. The Flash (Wally West) also makes a few appearances.

In terms of quality, these standalone stories are a mixed bag. They’re the kind of stories where we see a lot of superhero stuff mixed with mundane, everyday stuff. Cyborg joins a dating service, Starfire goes to therapy, etc. The bad thing about this book is that it’s almost the same plot and story formula over and over again. Almost every member is dealing with the team drifting apart, and wondering what they’ll do next. It’s like a compilation album where you have different artists playing the same song. For what it’s worth, that song sounds the best when sang by Chris Yost, with his story about Starfire.

As people who’ve read his work might expect, J.T. Krul steals the book with his story about Red Arrow balancing his superhero gig with being a father. However, Krul also wrote the book’s climax, which for my money, fell short.

Angel Unzueta handles most of the art. There’s nothing here that’ll take your breath away, but he holds up his end of the bargain.

This isn’t the first time DC has tried to recapture some of that old Wolfman/Perez magic. It seems to work well in small doses, but from a creative standpoint, the Titans monthly title was a failure. Unless you’re a big fan of those characters, I’d leave this one on the shelf.

RATING: 4/10

TITLE: Batman: Long Shadows
AUTHOR: Judd Winick
ARTISTS: Ed Benes, Mark Bagley, Cover by J.G. Jones
COLLECTS: Batman #687-691
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $19.99
RELEASE DATE: May 26

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Ah, Judd Winick. Every fanboy’s least-favorite Real World star turned comic book writer. Or maybe he’s a favorite. Sometimes it’s hard to tell. The man’s gained a lot of attention during his career, both favorable and unfavorable.

In any event, the man who brought Jason Todd back to life in Batman: Under The Hood is back, and this time he’s dealing with the aftermath of Batman: Battle For The Cowl, which gave us a new Batman: Dick Grayson.

With Bruce Wayne gone, Dick and Bruce’s son Damian are the new Batman and Robin. As the new Dark Knight settles into his new role, he finds himself caught in the middle of a war between The Penguin and Two-Face. To send a message to the criminal element in Gotham, Dick makes an effort to be seen on camera more. Unfortunately, this results in Two-Face realizing that this isn’t the Batman he’s been up against for so long. Meanwhile, the mysterious new Black Mask continues to haunt Gotham…

Batman #688, page 1. Art from ComicArtGallery.com.

The best part about this book is the emotional weight attached to it. In Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn, Grant Morrison focused more on the dynamic between the new Dynamic Duo, and the enemies they faced. Long Shadows puts Damian in a strictly supporting role, and puts the spotlight solely on Dick Grayson, and what it means for him to put on the cape and cowl. Interestingly enough, this story fills in some of the gaps between Battle For The Cowl and Batman Reborn, such as what happened to the Batcave, how they ended up in the new Bat-Bunker, Dick training with Damian, etc.

Judd Winick writes Alfred better than most. He gives him a nice Dr. Watson type quality that really suits the character. He did this in Under The Hood as well. It’s similar to what Chuck Dixon did in Robin: Year One. He also gives Alfred a greatline near the beginning of the book. When Superman and Wonder Woman come to the Batcave with Bruce Wayne’s body, Superman asks him if he’s all right.

“Am I ‘all right?’” Alfred replies. “No sir, I am not. My son has died.”

On the very last page, Winick pulls a surprise cliffhanger on us. The sad thing is, in successive issues of Batman, this incident has yet to even be touched on, much less resolved. So we may be waiting awhile before we get any sort of follow up on this book’s ending.

Most of the book is pencilled by Mark Bagley, who’s arguably most famous for his work on Ultimate Spider-man. He turns in a good performance, but is ultimately outdone by Ed Benes, whose work on Batman #687 precedes Bagley’s in the book. If you were contesting it on points, Bagley would be just a few behind Benes.

Long Shadows is a strong emotional ride for Dick Grayson and Alfred. In essence it’s about continuing on in the face of tragedy, which these characters are certainly no strangers to.

RATING: 7.5/10