Comic Country 4-20-05

[Jedah Crow]

I'll be posting more reviews throughout the weekend but here's the first two from last week's books.

Batman: Gotham Knights #64 - DC
"Human Nature, Book Four"
by A.J. Lieberman (w), Al Barrionuevo (p) & Bit (i)
A group of orphans that Poison Ivy befriended over the years have started turning up dead. After investigating, Ivy was horrified to discover that the cause of the kids' deaths may have been due to overexposure to herself. Pamela Isley has since been determined to find a cure for condition so that she can't hurt anyone else again. So she turned to Bruce Wayne's help, hoping that with her recently saving Alfred from Hush and Prometheus that Wayne would be open to the notion of aiding her. All well and good except that Hush has trying to manipulate Ivy into falling in love with him for a scheme that has yet to be revealed.

With Poison Ivy sincerely trying to change for the better, Bruce allows himself to have feelings for her again. Hush retaliates to this bonding by revaling to Ivy that Bruce Wayne and Batman are one and the same. A battle between Batman and Hush ensues as Tommy Elliot continues to work his mindgames on Pamela. Ultimately Poison Ivy makes her choice and the status quo for one of the (former?) Bat Rogues changes significantly.

I've been greatly enjoying this arc. Poison Ivy has been one of my favorites for a long time but she was a character that most writers in recent years had a tendency to mishandle. Choosing to ignore the complexities that great writers like Alan Grant gave her in favor of turning Ivy into a 2-note plant fanatic that reveled in the disregard for human life. A.J. Lieberman on the other hand "gets" Ivy. This is the intelligent yet confused and lovestarved wallflower that puts on the facade of confidence, Pamela Isley that I've missed so badly in the past ten years. I'm not certain if Poison Ivy's "face turn" will stick. Probably not but I at least hope we've seen the last of the eco-fanatical, fem-nazi interpretation of the character for a long time. A-

Manhunter #9 - DC
"Trial by Fire, Part 4: Disorder in the Court"
by Marc Andreyko (w), Javier Pina (p) & Jimmy Palmiotti (i)
The trial of the Shadow Thief for the murder of Ronnie Raymond, the original Firestorm continues as Kate tries to put Sands away for good in her dayjob as a prosecutor. As disasterous as the trial has been thus far it gets turned completely upside down when Merlin, Monocle and Phobia break into the courtroom with the intent of assassinating the Shadow Thief. The Manhunter had succeeded in thwarting previous attempts by the likes of Cheshire and others but this is the biggest attack yet for the heroine's young career. Throw in superheroine, Firebird exposing her secret identity in public and let chaos ensue.

This is pretty much an all-action issue with none of the court drama that we've been able to enjoy in the past few issues. However the fight is welldone as Kate shows she's a fast learner and holds her own against the three assassins. The fight is made all the more enjoyable as Merlin is at his psychotic best while Monocle is forced to play straightman. Remniscent of the death of Copperhead in the first issue, Manhunter provides one of the badguys a nasty demise, so I guess that's one guy that won't be showing up in "Villains United".

Aside from the courtroom brawl, two of the subplots in this series continue. Someone continues to kill off/kidnap former Manhunters (There's a lot of them as the name gets passed around more than a dube at a Cypress Hill concert.) and we know it's only a matter of time before the mystery killer targets Kate Spencer. Meanwhile someone stalks Kate's son in the park, right under her ex-husband's nose. Much to his dismay.

The artwork by Javier Pina is excellent. While it's a shame that this title has lost Jesus Paiz to "The OMAC Project" mini-series, Pina's work doesn't differentiate from Paiz's so much that this title's look has been lost. His pencils are tight and solid, providing the book with the real world feel that works so well for it. Further enhancing the feel is the earth tone palette that colorist, Steve Buccellato applies throughout. All in all, "Manhunter" continues to be an enjoyable read as Kate Spencer continues to be an intriguing and likeable protagonist despite being a cold-hearted *****. A-

Off to work for now. Coming up in the next batch of reviews, the conclusion to the absolutely excellent Space Ghost mini-series. Which has been confirmed to be getting a sequel! Yay!

 

[Keith Justice]

Dude, nice!

Thanks!

:thumbs:

 

[Jedah Crow]

Thanks, JC.

Part 2 of the 4-20 edition of Comic Country.

Space Ghost #6 of 6 - DC
"Mortality"
by Joe Kelly (w), Ariel Olivetti
The Zorathian invasion of Meridian is in full force. All that stands between the world's denizens and complete genocide is the dead man, once known as Thaddeus Bach now known as Space Ghost! After befriending and bonding with the two orphans Jan and Jayce who's parents were among those slaughtered by Zorak's forces, Thaddeus has regained his humanity and now seeks justice instead of vengeance.

Space Ghost uses all of Salomon's technology at his disposal as well as his reawakened heart of hero to battle against unsurmountable odds. Even after he manages to kill one Zorak, another Zorak awakens in his place for all Zorathians are Zorak. Then there's still the matter of the traitorous Temple who had murdered Thaddeus's wife and unborn son, thus sending him off on his journey to darkness and to light again, in the first place. When all is said and done, Space Ghost choses his destiny and the origin of icon is complete.

I have absolutely loved every panel of every page of every issue of this mini-series. When it was first announced that Joe Kelly was going to take Space Ghost and return him to his serious roots. I was intrigued. If for nothing else, it was kinda cool that Space Ghost was now a DC superhero (He is afterall, owned by Time-Warner which also owns DC Comics.) The first few issues, however exceeded my expectations and the last few issues didn't fail to live up to those now higher expectations. Everything from Thaddeus Bach's tragic origin to Zorak's disturbingly primal reimagining worked on all levels. Even the maligned Jan and Jayce served newfound purpose that they lacked in the original Hanna-Barbera cartoons of which this series was inspired. The dialogue, the drama, the emotions. Joe Kelly has pulled off some of the best work of his career.

I also have to praise the beautiful painted artwork of Ariel Olivetti. Ariel gave this series an excellent, sci-fi pulp look that set it apart from all the other superhero books on the racks. Even with the mini-series now over, I'm still in awe of the redesigned Zorak. A new monstrous look that still emotes elements of the original cartoonish designs but perfectly fits the bloodthirsy ferocity of the new DC version of Space Ghost's arch-nemesis.

Some other fans have commented that this mini-series is "The Dark Knight Returns" for Space Ghost. I find myself unable to disagree. If you missed on the mini-series, you have my highest recommendation to get the trade paperback set for release in July. The last page announces that there will be another series, I can't hardly wait to see what Joe and Ariel have in store for us next! A+

Teen Titans #23 - DC
"Lights Out, Part Three - Secrets and Lies"
by Geoff Johns (w), Mike McKone (p) & Marlo Alquiza (i)
After the results of last year's "Identity Crisis" event, Dr. Light has found his intelligence and true personality restored. The first thing on the not so good doctor's agenda was to restore his dignity and reputation. He had kidnapped Green Arrow and promised to kill him unless the Teen Titans and only the Titans showed up to rescue him. Showed up, the Titans did but they were caught completely off-guard, expecting to face the goofball joke of a villain Dr. Light that they're all familiar with. Basically the previous two parts have been all about Dr. Light kicking the **** out of the superhero teens.

So it was time for plan B. Starfire and Nightwing have reunited just about every remaining Titan, past and present that's still alive to take down Dr. Light for good. Can over two dozen superheroes defeat one supervillain? Heh.

Dr. Light makes short work of the vast majority of "Teen Titans Unlimited" as the likes of Joker's Daughter, Wildebeest, Red Star and others prove to be nothing more than minor annoyances. Even powerhouses like Superboy and Starfire prove to be of little consequence. It eventually comes down to the last Titan standing and he ends up having to rely on technology and pure determination.

Once the epic battle is out of the way, things settle down. Speedy (the new female version) is officially welcomed to the team. This leads to a hokey afterschool special moment where she reveals to her newfound friends that she has AIDS and everyone else comforts her by revealing one of their darker secrets. Though thankfully Kid Flash can be relied on, to break monotony of that eyeroller.

Cheesy aftermath aside, this was a great brawl to see. Thanks in no small part to Mike McKone who leaves this title with a bang and moves onto a more "fantastic" title over at Marvel. B

That's it for part 2 of this thang. Coming up next, some Marvel titles. Including the underrated "Livewires" and the highly overrated "Runaways".

 

[Judge Faiz]

Wow...DC redid Space Ghost in a serious way! I'm really curious to pick this book up!!

-RF