DC Comics May 11th 2011
Batman Incorporated #6
What again? There are a fair few books that come out far too erratically nowadays. Sometimes it feels like Grant Morrison is going out of the way to write a "weird" story and it looses all structure and doesn't read well. This isn't one of those times but this book can sometimes be his stomping ground for trying to be odd for no reason. As a matter of fact however this has to be one of his better structured issues. The cover says it all really, lots of Batmen all working together. It's a global effort of how Batman and his corporation of worldwide players is gathering intel on the child captures that are to do with the Leviathan baddy. With the majority told from the perspective of a small crime gang that is working with Leviathan and think they hired a P.I. to solve the worldwide Batmen rumors, only for him to turn out to be one.
The story is well written and has a lot of humour for a bat book. The art is a tad hit and miss at times, with some head shots turning a bit too manga looking.
The Flash #12
The Prelude to Flashpoint is a tad unnecessary. It is only implied at the end that the whole thing is the Reverse Flash/ Zoom's doing and that doesn't really give any clues as to how they would go about fixing the Flashpoint universe. Zoom kills Hot Pursuit. Barry is still whining about his mothers case even though he knows it was Zoom that killed her. Then Barry visits his mums grave as he gets struck by a flash lightning bolt. There's just an air of complete unnecessariness for this prelude, it reveals nothing.
It's the same artist as usual but for most of the book it just descends into unreadable red and yellow lightning scribbles. The medium used by the artist really isn't suited to depicting the speed force!
FlashPoint #1 (SPOILERS)
Both of the big two's events this summer have started differently to the usual stories. We are seeing quiet starts rather than running in all guns a blazin' with epic first issues. We seem to be heading for larger build ups and hopefully better pay offs.
Starting immediately after the Flash prelude, as he awakes at his desk to find employees who were long gone are working there again. He runs off to try to investigate and realises he isn't wearing his ring with his costume in, also more notable if this is even true but people are looking at him running down the corridor, maybe implying he doesn't have his speed powers anymore. He gets distracted and falls down the stairs only to be found by his mother. His long dead mother he spent most of his adult life trying to solve the murder of. He tells her he's the Flash and she asks, who? A member of the Justice league he replies and after reeling off a number of the members she doesn't know, it turns out this altered universe is home to a Batman.
A casino owning billionaire Batman, who we then see chase yo-yo (I'm guessing a Harley Quinn type of this universe) off the top of his Casino and fall to her death down crime alley. Seems his origin isn't so far away from the normal Batman. Cyborg catches her and then tries to get him to join an alliance with a number of this story lines altered heroes. Who show that the world is at war, Wonder Woman took over the UK and Aquaman took over most of Europe and they are fighting each other.
Barry goes to find his wife Iris only to find she is married to Wally West. Barry then drives off to Wayne Manor hoping to meet Bruce and figure it all out. He makes his way down into the cave, Batman pounces and is ready to kill him but Barry yells at Bruce for him to stop, he is told bruce is dead and he watched him die. Yes in this altered timeline it seems that Thomas Wayne became Batman instead.
Well that's definitely the kind of cliff hanger that brings you back for more, also the amount of introductions of other characters have left me wanting to read nearly all the tie in's which would be ridiculous. But even the ones I wasn't going to be picking up like Wonder Woman and Aquaman seem like they would give away more of the story about the war. Well here's the ones I'm tempted by Booster Gold (as I've wanted a jumping on point for a while now), Batman, Citizen Cold, Deadman and the Flying Graysons, Lois Lane, Kid Flash, Reverse Flash (both of which should be more relevant seen as it's a Flash book for godsake) and Superman. As much as Alternate Timeline stories put people off with the thought of returning to normal after- I really hope at least a few of these characters or retcons follow through after the event. Just to throw a spanner in the works.
Superman #711
So Livewire's acting up in Las Vegas, because she had a power overload. It's an overused premise that in this case makes very little sense.
But Jimmy Olsen and Superman stop her anyway and after Jimmy Grounded (Ha! that's the title of the book) her electrically, Supes gets her in one of his old containment suits and it has a big S on the front. I thought this was the start of Superman Inc. which really should be done. Not to copy Batman, just because this book seems to be hinting and teasing about the legacy of the character. Then as the story finishes Superman Lectures us on the bullshit about why America is so much better than the rest of the world. It really makes you feel sick to be honest. I suppose that was to counter all the uproar about his national identity.
This book really needs to find a direction, and I've stuck with it way longer than I should! Honest to God Grounded better finish on a high or it's really just the biggest time waste in comics history.
What again? There are a fair few books that come out far too erratically nowadays. Sometimes it feels like Grant Morrison is going out of the way to write a "weird" story and it looses all structure and doesn't read well. This isn't one of those times but this book can sometimes be his stomping ground for trying to be odd for no reason. As a matter of fact however this has to be one of his better structured issues. The cover says it all really, lots of Batmen all working together. It's a global effort of how Batman and his corporation of worldwide players is gathering intel on the child captures that are to do with the Leviathan baddy. With the majority told from the perspective of a small crime gang that is working with Leviathan and think they hired a P.I. to solve the worldwide Batmen rumors, only for him to turn out to be one.
The story is well written and has a lot of humour for a bat book. The art is a tad hit and miss at times, with some head shots turning a bit too manga looking.
The Flash #12
The Prelude to Flashpoint is a tad unnecessary. It is only implied at the end that the whole thing is the Reverse Flash/ Zoom's doing and that doesn't really give any clues as to how they would go about fixing the Flashpoint universe. Zoom kills Hot Pursuit. Barry is still whining about his mothers case even though he knows it was Zoom that killed her. Then Barry visits his mums grave as he gets struck by a flash lightning bolt. There's just an air of complete unnecessariness for this prelude, it reveals nothing.
Anyone care to hazard a guess as to what this panel is trying to show. Other than the colour red lightning.
It's the same artist as usual but for most of the book it just descends into unreadable red and yellow lightning scribbles. The medium used by the artist really isn't suited to depicting the speed force!
FlashPoint #1 (SPOILERS)
Both of the big two's events this summer have started differently to the usual stories. We are seeing quiet starts rather than running in all guns a blazin' with epic first issues. We seem to be heading for larger build ups and hopefully better pay offs.
Starting immediately after the Flash prelude, as he awakes at his desk to find employees who were long gone are working there again. He runs off to try to investigate and realises he isn't wearing his ring with his costume in, also more notable if this is even true but people are looking at him running down the corridor, maybe implying he doesn't have his speed powers anymore. He gets distracted and falls down the stairs only to be found by his mother. His long dead mother he spent most of his adult life trying to solve the murder of. He tells her he's the Flash and she asks, who? A member of the Justice league he replies and after reeling off a number of the members she doesn't know, it turns out this altered universe is home to a Batman.
HA! Wayne's World!
A casino owning billionaire Batman, who we then see chase yo-yo (I'm guessing a Harley Quinn type of this universe) off the top of his Casino and fall to her death down crime alley. Seems his origin isn't so far away from the normal Batman. Cyborg catches her and then tries to get him to join an alliance with a number of this story lines altered heroes. Who show that the world is at war, Wonder Woman took over the UK and Aquaman took over most of Europe and they are fighting each other.
Barry goes to find his wife Iris only to find she is married to Wally West. Barry then drives off to Wayne Manor hoping to meet Bruce and figure it all out. He makes his way down into the cave, Batman pounces and is ready to kill him but Barry yells at Bruce for him to stop, he is told bruce is dead and he watched him die. Yes in this altered timeline it seems that Thomas Wayne became Batman instead.
Well that's definitely the kind of cliff hanger that brings you back for more, also the amount of introductions of other characters have left me wanting to read nearly all the tie in's which would be ridiculous. But even the ones I wasn't going to be picking up like Wonder Woman and Aquaman seem like they would give away more of the story about the war. Well here's the ones I'm tempted by Booster Gold (as I've wanted a jumping on point for a while now), Batman, Citizen Cold, Deadman and the Flying Graysons, Lois Lane, Kid Flash, Reverse Flash (both of which should be more relevant seen as it's a Flash book for godsake) and Superman. As much as Alternate Timeline stories put people off with the thought of returning to normal after- I really hope at least a few of these characters or retcons follow through after the event. Just to throw a spanner in the works.
Superman #711
So Livewire's acting up in Las Vegas, because she had a power overload. It's an overused premise that in this case makes very little sense.
Ow the puns hurt worse than Kryptonite!
But Jimmy Olsen and Superman stop her anyway and after Jimmy Grounded (Ha! that's the title of the book) her electrically, Supes gets her in one of his old containment suits and it has a big S on the front. I thought this was the start of Superman Inc. which really should be done. Not to copy Batman, just because this book seems to be hinting and teasing about the legacy of the character. Then as the story finishes Superman Lectures us on the bullshit about why America is so much better than the rest of the world. It really makes you feel sick to be honest. I suppose that was to counter all the uproar about his national identity.
This book really needs to find a direction, and I've stuck with it way longer than I should! Honest to God Grounded better finish on a high or it's really just the biggest time waste in comics history.
DC Comics May 11th 2011
Reviewed by Matt
on
04:31:00
Rating:
Reviewed by Matt
on
04:31:00
Rating:
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