Blackest Night #4I'm going to be honest here. I love Geoff Johns work, pretty much since day one of his run on The Flash all the way through today. He has written his fair share of clunkers, (Infinite Crisis and Legion of 3 Worlds being the two I did not like) but for the most part if I pick up a Geoff Johns book I am going to be entertained. I'll also admit that I was not one of the people who believed that Blackest Night was wearing out it's welcome with recycled plots, but I attribute that to my refusal to read anything except the main book and Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps, mostly because I'm poor, but also because I wasn't interested in the slightest. (The only one I'm getting is Blackest Night: Flash, for the Rogues.)
Also, I hate Barry Allen. When I first started reading comic books, Wally West was firmly established as THE Flash and a year later Kyle Rayner took over as Green Lantern. I never cared for, and I still don't.
THE GOOD: With all that out of the way, I was blown away by this book. Going in, we all knew that this was going to be the big reveal of Nekron, but the fact that Johns focused solely on the Earth heroes since Hal and company got all of GL to themselves was brilliant. Atom, Mera, and even Barry are way more interesting than they ever have been, as Barry marshalls the troops together in a believeable and perfect way. Johns is clearly making these three a pet project for this series, and already he's turned these "minor" characters into interesting leads. Not to mention the fact that this issue is filled to the brim with action, as Flash rounds up the heroes and Atom and Mera join up with the Justice Society, and we get an awesome moment with the Atom family. Hell, even Scarecrow got an awesome moment with Black Lantern Azrael, and it wouldn't be a Geoff Johns book without a "Lex Luthor is a bad-ass" scene. With the Earth's heroes struggling to keep the Black Lanterns at bay, I'm praying we get to see what I've been calling for all along, for the superheroes to get rings of the different corps. A Blue Lantern Superman, Sinestro Corp Joker, any of the other hundreds of possibilites, and at the end of the story they give the rings up. It would be great. And of course, it has to be said that Ivan Reis is a fantastic job with the art on this book. He's really taken his game to the next level and it shows with every panel. Plus, the inking and coloring are really helping the mood of the book overall and not muddying things too much, despite the dark setting.
THE BAD: I was extremely disappointed that Nekron turned out to be the big bad after all, something which I felt was so blantantly obvious even long before solicits completely blew any sense of mystery. I figured it out a long time ago, just because I was reading random wikipedia articles about Green Lantern villians and came across his page. "Huh, tried to cross over into Earth from the land of the dead, but Hal Jordan and Arisia stopped him. And Blackest Night is about the dead rising. Hmmmm....." That was me OVER A YEAR ago. But I gave Johns the benefit of the doubt that there was some big swerve coming, hence the revelation of Nekron through solicits early because it was a fake out. NOPE. He's the big bad after all. It doesn't ruin the event, or damage this issue, but I was really hoping for more honestly. Also, the fact that Johns kills one of his pet characters from the last three/four years further lends credence to the fact that the Black Lanterns are all going to be alive at the end of the event. Especially since now it looks like Wonder Woman is also going to be a Black Lantern at some point. No way, no how are they going to still be dead at the end. Probably everybody is back to life at issue 8. Again, not the end of the world, but if that is what happens I just wish it wasn't so telegraphed.
Verdict: Even in a loaded week with some stiff competition, and with some admittadely knit-picky things that I hated about it, this is still the best book on the stands.
Which earns it the F*%& YEAH!!! Award
Green Lantern #47
Runner-Up of the Week
The Good: We finally get some progress on story events that have been going on since before Blackest Night began, and we get some face time with all of the Lantern Corps. Atrocious actually seems like a force to be reckoned with again, after I was questioning how four Green Lanterns were beating them when the Red Lanterns tore through a squad of GLs and a squad of Sinestros! Plus, my favorite of the various Corps, Saint Walker, finally got to do something instead of being pulled on for six months (Giggedy). Also, more bad-ass Sinestro moments, plus Jordan finally sacked up and put Sinestro is his place.
The Bad: Good God, the stuff with Arin Sur was such bullshit. I couldn't care less about Sinestro's suddenly revealed love, even if she turns out to be Soranik Natu's mother (which she probably is). Plus, I just don't care about John Stewart. In the cartoons he was an interesting character, but all they seem to focus on in the comics is his shoe-horned-in sniper career and the fact he blew up a planet. That's his entire character, oh wait and he's African-American. After what DC has done with the Milestone characters, Black Lightning,
and now John Stewart and Jason Rusch, it really seems like they don't like their African-American characters. Though I guess Static is now on Teen Titans, but since that's such a train wreck I think that's just more proof.
The Ugly: I love Doug Mahnke. I do. But his Saint Walker is just F-ugly. When Jerry Ordway Now can draw any character 10 times better than you, you really need to work on that character. Yeesh.
Verdict: Still a great book. Would have been even better if these stories were told two months ago when I was invested in what was happening, but Johns took too long to get around to the plots I was really interested in. Which is why the War of Light should have been a different event. Either way,
It earns the "Larfleeze is in Some Deep Shit Now" Award!
Marvel: Dark Reign: The List: Wolverine: Weapon X: Attack of the Colons
Best "Marvel Circa 2001" in 2009 Comic of the Week
The Good: Grant Morrison Jason Aaron is easily becoming one of the best writers in comics. The fact that he out Morrisons Grant Morrison in this comic is amazing, with spot on interpretations of Fantomex and Noh-Varr, two characters that lesser writers outright ignore or completely butcher (*cough* Bendis *cough*, excuse me, damn swine flu). Aaron also throws in unique touches that are outright brilliant such as a virus that controls you through the belief portions of your brain, and Fantomex's spot on response "Cool, I always knew Atheists would someday save the world." Let me just say, Jason Aaron needs to write a buddy space cop series starring Fantomex and Marvel Boy, because I would buy like four copies of that book a month.
The Bad: This would have been the book of the week if it weren't for the fact that the art drags the book down in tons of scenes. Pretty much every scene with Norman Osborn is terrible, just terrible. I do appreciate that Ribic is trying to channel Ron Garney in his portrayal of Wolverine, but the other characters are wildly inconsistent.
The Ugly: Jesus, did you see Norman Osborn in this? He looks like Peter Griffin stuck in Sex Face. Which is not a good thing.
Verdict: Go Zombies, Go.
It Earns "Best Grant Morrison Book of the Week"
Secret Warriors #9
Great writing, Bad art Book of the Week
The Good: Jonathan Hickman. I'm trade waiting on Fantastic Four, but I absolutely love his work on this title. We also get more on the titular warriors, and another action packed fight with the Warriors and H.A.M.M.E.R with the Dark Avengers thrown in. Also, it wouldn't be Secret Warriors without a bad-ass spy scene.
The Bad: The art. Allesandro Vitti is probably a good artist, but the melee in this issue is just terribly done. I couldn't tell one character from another. Also, when is this book set?! Ares is going hardcore after people he already gave his thumbs up to, and in the List special he helped Fury escape, but this takes place before then, but when does Dark Avengers #9 take place? A little clarification would be great.
The Ugly: CAN BULLSEYE WIN ONE GODDAMN FIGHT??!! JUST ONE!! THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING FOR!!
Verdict: I miss Stefano Caselli. This book would have been perfect if drawn by him.
It Earns the "Come Back Caselli! COME BACK!!!" Award.
Dark Avengers #10
Worst Book of the Week
The Good: Not a lot. I do like the descent of Norman Osborn's psyche, especially since this is the only character that Bendis seems to have a grasp on in any way. Also, Mike Deodato's artwork is still really good, especially the last double page spread with the villians. I'm also glad to see the Molecule Man make a re-emergence, since it's obvious he's the only real villain at the end and Mephisto, The Beyonder, and The Enchantress are all figments or creations, and it's nice to see a real villain in this book for once.
The Bad: Literally everything else. It seems like Bendis sat down for five minutes with a guy months ago and to get information about these characters, and even then didn't bother listening to what he was told. Kurt Busiek's Thunderbolts run was one of my favorite comics of all time, and yet here Moonstone is reverted to a completely different character that completely ignores how awesome Karla Sofen can be. Same with Daken, who I don't like at all but I still believe that he can eventually be an interesting character in the right hands, i.e. not Bendis's. Also, this is beginning to be an ongoing theme, but I don't get why if you put all of the effort into building up Osborn and his team, but they can't win a goddamn fight at all. The Sentry gets completely punked yet again! I just don't quite see what the point is that Norman Osborn is on top, but he completely loses every single time! He only beat Hawkeye because Hawkeye stormed into an ambush, and even then it wasn't a slam dunk by Norman.
The Ugly: Nothing. The art was really the only true highlight of the book.
Verdict: Soon I'm going to have to make a post about the downfall of Bendis's Avengers work. I really loved his run up to Secret Invasion, but since then I can't get past the big problems with Dark Avengers and I just outright dropped New Avengers because I got tired of watching them fight the Hood for the 208th time.
It Earns the "Bad writing, Great Art" Award.
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