Villains are overrunning the New 52 DC U! But does that make for interesting comic books? Let's see as I review all 56 issues, every Wednesday this month! We'll count the points at the end!
Forever Evil #1/7
Forever Evil is the seven part mini-series that ties the whole event together. It's pretty fun--good writing, quick pacing, and great art. Plus, it's long (36 pgs) and shows the villains doing really evil stuff (what you paid for). If you read Trinity War (I didn't), you'll remember the Alfred of Earth-3 (Earth-3 is an evil universe where all out same DC heroes exist, but are super-evil and form a evil crime syndicate instead of a league of justice) opened a inter-dimensional rift between Earth-Prime and (evil) Earth-3. The bad superheroes "killed" the good superheroes, and are now primed and ready to take over Earth-Prime! They enlist every villain in the DCU as their personal army and brutally reveal Nightwing's identity to the entire world. Who will save the DCU? Perhaps the Teen Titans. Maybe the Suicide Squad. But most likely, Lex Luthor, as he's his own boss and doesn't like being told what to do (plus they spent a lot of page time on him). Everybody knows the status quos will be reset, but how? Personally, I hope the Earth-2 heroes go through a riff to save the day. Overall, 4 Blockbuster Comic Events out of 5.
Batman
Joker (Batman 23.1)
Everybody loves Joker! He's simultaneously diabolical, whimsical, hilarious and horrifying: a man of many contradictions. This issue, penned by Andy Kubert and illustrated by Andy Clarke, manages to capture all the Joker's many moods. It begins with a flashback to Joker's very disturbing childhood; remembering his abusive upbringing, Joker decides to settle down and become a father. Obviously, he then steals a baby gorilla from the zoo, names it Jackanapes, and feeds it ice cream sundaes to create the perfect killing machine. While this issue is quite silly, Clarke's art also makes it truly horrifying. Murders in the background include a man being eaten by a python, a gorilla holding closed the doors of a department store as the patrons claw their way out, a man being pulled to death by a forklift and gorilla. An issue of many moods, well worth a read. 4 Deranged Laughs out of 5.
Two-Face resonates with readers because he represents nature's duality, or the cruel hand of fate...? However, nothing cool like that is in this issue. In fact, nothing much really happens at all. Veteran Batman writer, Peter J. Tomasi shows Two-Face going on a violence filled crusade through Gotham, capriciously killing bad guys by the choice of a coin flip. The first four pages of the book show Two-Face joining Scarecrow in alliance with the Villians--but the last page negates all of this. Really, this is a usual Two-Face story with worse than usual writing. However, Guillem March's art is fantastic: he really shows the horror of Two-Face's acid burns as well as small details like the coin face and the city scape. The art is the only thing that gives this book 2 Mutated Faces out of 5.
The Ventriloquist (Batman: The Dark Knight 23.1)
The Ventriloquist with which I'm most familiar is Albert Fish, a nebbish fat dude who talks to a doll named Scarface (from Batman: The Animated Series) But Gail Simone's New 52 Ventriloquist is way different. Firstly, she's a woman. Second, she's telepathic. And most interesting of all, in contrast to the old Ventriloquist, she is not a shy person who lets her sadism out through puppetry. Instead, she's a total schizo who intimidates everyone, even the voice that occupies her puppet. This new Ventriloquist appeared in Batgirl, but this one-shot details her extra-creepy origin. I don't want to spoil anything, but this is one of the best issues of the week granting 5 Murderous Puppets out of 5.
Poison Ivy (Detective Comics 23.1)
A good, perhaps bland, Poison Ivy origin story. The sexy villainess walks around a anarchic Gotham terrorizing both thugs and innocent people with plant life. The issue flashes back to Ivy's tumultious childhood, her years in college making experimental plant hormone hallucinogenics, and her time as a researcher for the Wayne Corporation. Interestingly enough, Bruce Wayne fires Ivy when she proposes they test plant mind control techniques--which causes Ivy to go insane, steal plants, and turn super-powered. Another instance in which Batman creates his own villains inadvertently. The book mention Ivy's history as an environmental rights "terrorist" and her close contact with the Green higher-conciousness of planet Earth made up in Moore's Swamp Thing, but just quickly. I wish for a Swampy v. Poison Ivy crossover all the time. This was heavy on exposition, but still a fun read, 3 Costumes Made of Vines out of 5.
Superman
Bizarro (Superman 23.1)
Hated this. Somebody (and I'm not blaming the script writer) castrated the Bizarro character, destroying the bizarro zone. But listen: in the New 52, Bizarro is just another Lex Luthor super-experiment gone wrong. He's a broken clone of Superman. While I think this may have been (don't know) the case since the 2000s, why get rid of bizarro zone! Most of the issue is Luthor figuring out that Bizarro is powered by kryptonite and vulnerable to sunlight. Worst yet, Bizarro doesn't even talk bizarro! WTF! The issue's cartoony art doesn't help anything (looks nothing like cover art). In the bizarro universe, this is the best comic ever so in our universe it's 1 Comic Worst Ever out of 13 Comic Worst Ever.
Cyborg Superman (Action Comics 23.1)
I was a little confused on first read through--but on second read, it's totally clear, this is a good comic. Brainiac finds a Kryptonian Superman robot and programs it to be as strong as Superman. Then, he instructs the machine to go across the universe and learn from any galactic fighter he can't kill. The robot ruthlessly tortures alien lifeforms as he destroys their world. There's also some drama on Krypton I didn't really understand. But all and all, Cyborg Superman is a cool concept and appropriately menacing. Plus, the art was good with lots of two page spreads that still look nice on a screen. 4 Mechanized Super-Intelligences out of 5.
Justice League
Darkseid (Justice League 23.1)
I love Darkseid, but I've never fully understood any Darkseid comic I've ever read (as the New Gods Omnibus trades linger on my shelf). Point is, I don't really know what happened in this issue but... The New Gods are making utopia, being gods and stuff, until the Old Gods come out and start destroying everything. This riles up those New Gods, and Darkseid destroys the god planet to make it into Apocalypse. The art is really cool, lots of neon explosions and fight scenes to get you through the exposition. Maybe this is better and I'm just dumb. 3 Planet Destroyers out of 5.
I love Darkseid, but I've never fully understood any Darkseid comic I've ever read (as the New Gods Omnibus trades linger on my shelf). Point is, I don't really know what happened in this issue but... The New Gods are making utopia, being gods and stuff, until the Old Gods come out and start destroying everything. This riles up those New Gods, and Darkseid destroys the god planet to make it into Apocalypse. The art is really cool, lots of neon explosions and fight scenes to get you through the exposition. Maybe this is better and I'm just dumb. 3 Planet Destroyers out of 5.
The Creeper (Justice League Dark 23.1)
This is one of the issues I was most excited for. The Creeper's sometimes a good guy, sometimes a bad guy, but almost always a dude with a demon trapped in his body that makes him do bad things. Creeper stories often deliberately distort the line between good and bad and that's what makes them cool. This wildly collaborative effort--story by Dan Didio (of DC Editor fame), written by Ann Nocenti (of counter-culture journalism/weird comics fame) use three sets of inkists and colorists--could only work on a character like Creeper. From water color w/ laser swords to cartoonish tornado this book is weird looking. In the New 52, the Creeper is a Japanese demon/spirit who haunted the sword of a noble samurai warrior. Then, he went to hell, visited The Demon and stuff. Now's he back, inhabiting the body of a journalist, and making it his life's pursuit to screw up conventionality and normal life (read the embedded panel)! I love this guy! Also, as revealed by the continuity bubbles, he's been all over the DC Dark Universe for a few months now. Always great to have The Creeper around. I even bought the 3-D copy (sigh). 5 Perverse Imps out of 5.
Deadshot (Justice League of America 7.1)
Never heard of Deadshot until this issue, but he's pretty cool--kinda like a cross between Punisher and Bullseye. Deadshot is an assassin with such good aim, and technologically enhanced bullets, he can never miss. His origin is simple: his family was accidentally killed by machine gun fire in a wayward mob hit...Thankfully, Deadshot was scared by his hardcover western pulp novel. Without parents, he turned to crime, got paid to kill a guy, and now wants to avenge his dead family by making sure nobody elses family dies on accident. He jumps out of planes and kills guys. It's fluffy fun. 3 Technologically Enhanced Bullets out of 5.
Desaad (Earth 2 15.1)
Is this guy new? Desaad is an angel of death who looks a lot like Mum-Ra, or the Cryptkeeper. He scares people, and according to the last page he has a cartoonist slave in his underground lair who allows him travel between dimensions. Meta! Overall, I found this villain not menacing, not scary, and kinda stupid. Who's he fight? What's his powers? He's just a menace. Am I missing something? 2 Spooky Cloaks out of 5.
Never heard of Deadshot until this issue, but he's pretty cool--kinda like a cross between Punisher and Bullseye. Deadshot is an assassin with such good aim, and technologically enhanced bullets, he can never miss. His origin is simple: his family was accidentally killed by machine gun fire in a wayward mob hit...Thankfully, Deadshot was scared by his hardcover western pulp novel. Without parents, he turned to crime, got paid to kill a guy, and now wants to avenge his dead family by making sure nobody elses family dies on accident. He jumps out of planes and kills guys. It's fluffy fun. 3 Technologically Enhanced Bullets out of 5.
Desaad (Earth 2 15.1)
Is this guy new? Desaad is an angel of death who looks a lot like Mum-Ra, or the Cryptkeeper. He scares people, and according to the last page he has a cartoonist slave in his underground lair who allows him travel between dimensions. Meta! Overall, I found this villain not menacing, not scary, and kinda stupid. Who's he fight? What's his powers? He's just a menace. Am I missing something? 2 Spooky Cloaks out of 5.
Green Lantern/Green Arrow/Flash
Relic (Green Lantern 23.1)
Relic (Green Lantern 23.1)
This is the third Green Lantern comic I've ever read. But, I can tell you what's a good comic without even reading the words--let alone understanding them! This is a great looking book: the bursting neon colors, the vibrant action, the crazy character models. Look at that splash page below! Apparently, there's a light-maker who creates some anti-laterns (like the colored Lantern guys, but embodying bad traits like lying and sloth). Then he absorbed them? I dunno. This book looked great, had lots of one page spreads, and might be a good story. Where do I even start with Green Lantern. Huff. 4 White Lantern Rings out of 5.
Count Vertigo (Green Arrow 23.1)
I read one other issue of Jeff Lemire's Green Arrow and didn't like it; this one was better, if not confusing. This freakish boy has a computer in his brain that allows him awesome powers. He becomes a military weapon gone awry, and his training is really dark and mess-up (Weapon-X-esque). The book makes good use of first person POV shots, and the graphic design, Mark Waid Daredevil type of action scenes look unique. Plus the book has a really brutal ending. Cool read, makes me want to read the rest of Lemire's Green Arrow, 4 Mercy Killings out of 5.
Grodd (Flash 23.1)
My favorite Grodd stories are ones that give glimpse into his "homeword", a hyper-intelligent tribe of gorilla-people stashed away on some hidden island. This issue starts with the gorilla leaders meeting human leaders to unveil a statue of the Flash. Since Flash frequently saves people and gorilla from the tyrannical Grodd, both groups can agree Flash is great even though often the needs of people (like industrialization and pollution) come into direct opposition with the needs of gorillas (like being a utopia democracy). Don't get me wrong: this story isn't about the criminally underused island tribe of hyper-intelligent gorillas at all. On page four, Grodd shows up, starts being a dick, and destroys the Flash statue (remember: he hates Flash). He reveals that while trapped in the speed force, he developed Flash powers (I can't tell if this is dumb or cool). Then, challenges every gorilla/the human army to a battle and becomes supreme overlord of both gorillas and people. Quickly, Grodd realizes that even though he has exactly what he's always wanted (to be a overlording tyrant of everyone) he's become exactly what he despises (Flash). He can never be happy. The issue is continued into the Forever Evil story. Overall, this issue was corny but fun 3 Missing Links of Evolution out of 5.
My favorite Grodd stories are ones that give glimpse into his "homeword", a hyper-intelligent tribe of gorilla-people stashed away on some hidden island. This issue starts with the gorilla leaders meeting human leaders to unveil a statue of the Flash. Since Flash frequently saves people and gorilla from the tyrannical Grodd, both groups can agree Flash is great even though often the needs of people (like industrialization and pollution) come into direct opposition with the needs of gorillas (like being a utopia democracy). Don't get me wrong: this story isn't about the criminally underused island tribe of hyper-intelligent gorillas at all. On page four, Grodd shows up, starts being a dick, and destroys the Flash statue (remember: he hates Flash). He reveals that while trapped in the speed force, he developed Flash powers (I can't tell if this is dumb or cool). Then, challenges every gorilla/the human army to a battle and becomes supreme overlord of both gorillas and people. Quickly, Grodd realizes that even though he has exactly what he's always wanted (to be a overlording tyrant of everyone) he's become exactly what he despises (Flash). He can never be happy. The issue is continued into the Forever Evil story. Overall, this issue was corny but fun 3 Missing Links of Evolution out of 5.
Point Total: 47/65
Come back next week! More villains! More points!
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