ONE-STAR SQUADRON #1 DC COMICS
Wow! This one has definately got me on the fence and that’s hard to do! On the one hand, I relly appreciate writer Mark Russell’s humorous script that follows in the footsteps of such classic series as Hero Hotline and Ambush Bug. And his combination of classic heroes, obscure heroes, and new wannabe heroes is delightful. (The one panel of GI Robot being the guest at a child’s birthday party is especially outrageous!) Plus, the concept is one that very few bring up. Clark Kent is a successful journalist, Hal Jordan is a jet pilot, Barry Allen is a police scientist, and Bruce Wayne is well… Bruce Wayne. Super heroics doesn’t pay (literally!) , so if you don’t have a good job in the real world, you’re going to have problems. So while you’re waiting for Superman to swoop in and ask for your help saving the universe, how to you make your rent? So what’s stopping me from going all fanboy here?
While this book is clearly set smackdab in the not so continuity conscious late 1980’s, the unusual characters that show up and how they act are tripping me up. Power Girl … a corporate spy? The Flying Fox, a WWII hero from the pages of All-Star Squadron and Young All-Stars showing no apparent ageing and losing his whole mystic shaman persona doesn’t seem right. Not helping is Steve Leiber’s take on the Red Tornado. While visually gorgeous, he’s drawn as human. Rounded facial structure, eyes showing emotion, if you can tell me that this is some alternate version of the character where he is human, I’m good. But the script clearly points out that he is an android. So why is an android eating a Whopper with extra mustard? I’m all for overlooking little continuity errors, these are holes that old school comic readers (who I think is the target audience) can walk through. Hoping this one can grow while keeping it’s uniqueness. I give it a 7 out of 10 Grahams.
BLOOM #4 HERO TOMORROW COMICS
Starting out with an homage cover to Amazing Spider-Man #62, the good folks at Hero Tomorrow Comics give us one last playlist to listen to for this final issue. This one goes very deep and definately proves that this was a thinking person’s book. Psychics, mystics, artists, models, and Woodstock all crash together ending in a tragedy that was inevitable. The muse now has a name and Regina is here to stay as the letter page promises a future title featuring everyone’s favorite tattooed model. Creator Ted Sikora has set the bar high with this series. It was the reader’s good fortune that he managed to find artist Butch Mapa to bring the story to life on the page. With a bit of an abrupt ending which seems to be pointing us into a future story and a whole lotta material yet to explore, I give this one a 9 out of 10 Grahams.
BATMAN #118 DC COMICS
Finally, somebody gets it! No more fear gas. No more armored security force. Just a great detective who happens to dress up like a bat to solve mysteries. With Gotham City throwing a party now that the Magistrate is gone, the Bat-Squad is slowing down to recoup. Meanwhile, Batman comes face to face with a new mystery featuring his old pals from Batman Inc. Luckily for Batman, he got to keep his cool toys before Bruce went belly up. And while I totally understand that Batman has the Batplane, I wonder how he paid for gas? This is the one fatal flaw that creative teams are going to have to explain. Bruce Wayne was the money guy. Need a new lab built, call Wayne, Need an addition to the Hall of Justice, Wayne’s got a blank check for that. By removing that plot point, it was hoped that this could make readers focus on different character aspects. And while this is starting to work, it also raises serious questions. Either way, Joshua Williamson’s script is off to a good start. I give it a 9 out of 10 Grahams.