FLASH #77 DC COMICS
Well, it’s official DC has official ticked me off. It’s bad enough that we had to water down the Speed Force with a series of other forces that really have no place in a title called the Flash about a speedster. Didn’t we learn anything from taking away the uniqueness of the Green Lantern with a bunch of other colors? But messing with the sanctity of the Rogues Gallery is too much for this old Flash fan to bear! During the 1960s and 70s, Flash’s Rogues Gallery was the most inventive and fun of any of the main titles heroes. Most of all, there was certain commeraderie that endeared them to our hearts. This two bit revamp of the whole Neron deal stinks to high heaven. I can only hope that once this whole Year of the Villain thing is over, we might be able to undo some of the damage. I give it a 4 out of 10 Grahams.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #30 DC COMICS
Big Fat Wet Sloppy Spoiler Alert! At least for anyone who hasn’t been on line for two weeks! Year of the Villain … don’t care. Justice/Doom War … don’t care. This mammoth cluster bubble of a storyline may be the next big thing but its just overwhelming and confusing as hell. The big deal here is the last two pages. SPOILER! With the return of Kamandi and FINALLY the Justice Society! Unfortunately, their appearance is brief and not a very positive one for the storyline. But the fact is DC has finally done what they promised a very long time ago. Confusing or not, DC has finally found a way to keep me investing in their Justice League title. About freakin’ time! I give it a 7 out of 10 Grahams.
MARVEL COMICS #1000 MARVEL COMICS
Just on general concept, I really wanted to dislike this book. Right off the bat how did we come up with the numbering system? 1000 issues of what? 80 years in the business doesn’t add up to 1000? I’m confused as to the thinking here. But the truth is that overall this is an amazing work. One page bits of story each done by a different creative team but each giving clues to a larger story encompassing the history of the Marvel Universe comes off without a hitch. Appealing to old and new Marvel fans, this has all sorts of easter eggs that will take weeks to gather. (My favorite was that Marvel’s Golden Age detective character The Ferret was in fact the Operative from Marvel’s mini series the Mystery Men from 2011! Simply amazing. And is was very high class to devote a page to all the Marvel creators that are no longer with us. Say what you will about Marvel, this book is a tribute to the fans of Marvel. I give it a 9 out of 10 Grahams.
EXCITING COMICS EXTRAVAGANZA ONE-SHOT ANTARCTIC PRESS
With only a few issues on the stands, Artarctic Press suprizes everyone with stunning one-shot that not only gives us the final story of the Freedom League but tells it in a 100 page Extravaganza! With Ben Dunn and David Furr at the helm, this amazing look back at some of the best public domain heroes. With the likes of such heroes of the Black Terror, Ms. Masque and Rocket Man, this story incorporates both the real world and the fantasy world of television. Why do these heroes need to die and who is doing the killing. Unravel the mystery over the course of 100 pages! I give it a 9 out of 10 Grahams.