Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes, page 18

Book Review: SUPERGIRL VOL. 1: The Killers of Krypton

SUPERGIRL VOL. 1: THE KILLERS OF KRYPTON by Marc Andreyko

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Out of the revelation in Man of Steel that the destruction of Krypton was an intentional act of genocide, Supergirl leaves Earth to bring justice to those responsible.

I was dubious about Bendis' retcon of Superman's' destruction but we get a good drama about Supergirl's emotions and her decision to take action. Its perfectly believable within the context of how her temper has been portrayed, and it sets up the first part of a well-round cosmic odyssey. Well done.



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Book Review: Pet Avengers Unleashed

Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers Unleashed by Chris Eliopoulos

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The main story was cute and an improvement on the original mini-series, if for no other reason than you didn't have a bunch of pets taking the infinity gems and dunking on Thanos. The back-up an additional features were less than impressive which is why I didn't give it more than three stars.



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Book Review: Superman, Volume 1: The Unity Saga: Phantom Earth

Superman, Volume 1: The Unity Saga: Phantom Earth by Brian Michael Bendis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


While Bendis' take on Action comics goes with Superman battling arsonist, his first volume of Superman goes big scale as the entire planet is drawn into the Phantom Zone.

This is an extraordinarily good first volume. Bendis really does build an intriguing tale but what ultimately sells it is some of the best art I've seen in the Big 2 in many a month. There are some just gorgeous pictures which really elevate an already good story to a must-read.



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Book Review: Showcase PResents Batman, Volume 2

Showcase Presents: Batman, Vol. 2 by Gardner F. Fox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


500 pages of Batman comics from the Silver Age. While there are some appearances by Batman's famous rogues, mostly he's dealing with typical non-costumed crooks. What stands out is the first appearances of Poison Ivy and establishing her place as a villain to be reckoned with. In addition, we also get the Outsider plot, which is actually really nicely handled. Reader curiosity is raised throughout the saga and it pays off nicely.

The Outsiders story was of several stories in this book that would be later adapted and expanded into Manga by Jiro Kuwata and it was nice to see the American origins of these stories.



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Book Review: Legion of Superheroes, Volume 1

Legion of Super-Heroes, Vol. 1: Teenage Revolution by Mark Waid

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Mark Waid's taken on the Legion of Superheroes is hard to get through. They are the the picture of "rebels without a cause." They are rebelling against authority, but because the book lacks a central thrust its a bit vague as to what actually is their concern. As with many legion books, there are too many characters and no focal point which does hurt the book. I'll see if it gets better when they go to Supergirl and the Legion Superheroes, but this one is ultimately forgettable.



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Book Review: Spider-Geddon: Covert Ops

Spider-Geddon: Covert Ops by Christopher J. Priest

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a tie in book to Spider-verse with two mini-series, Spider-Force and Spider-girls.

Spider-force is a tedious bore to get through with uninteresting characters, bad art, and a forgettable story.

Spider-girls brings together Mayday Parker from the MC2 Univers, Anya Corzon, and Annie Parker from Amazing Spider-man: Renew Your Vows. The result is actually quite fun as its great to see the characters play off each other. Its only a shame that the crossover didn't go an extra issue.

So you have one bad series, and one that was kind of fun, making for a mediocre mix. Not worth reading if you're not interested in the Spider-girls.



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Book Review: Spider-geddon

Spider-Geddon by Christos Gage

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Why does Spider-Geddon exists? Because there were some Spiders (most notably the Spider-man family from Renew Your Vows) that didn't get worked into Spider-Verse. This story is okay. It has a sense of fun about it, and it's a great to see a lot of Spiders together, but this is a commercial exercises and its often painfully obvious.

Again, good for its good for, but not quite as good as Spider-verse and almost completely unnecessary.



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Book Review: Wonder Woman: The Twelve Labors

Wonder Woman: The Twelve Labors by Len Wein

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The idea for the Twelve on its face seems a bit offensive on its face. Why would Wonder Woman have to prove herself to get back into the Justice League? She was an original member and one of D.C.'s oldest superheroes.

However, when you read the book, you find the Justice League had much the same reaction. The Twelve Labors were Wonder Woman's idea. At the start of the Bronze age, she was stripped of her powers for several years and lived another life. The Amazons returned and restored her powers and stripped her of the knowledge of who she was which left her filled with doubt. She has to prove to herself that she's fit to get back into the Justice League and using members of the Justice League to judge that fitness.

Once you get past the apparent problem with the premise, this is actually a really good book. The "twelve labors" idea demands big stories, big challenges, and Wonder Woman comes through time and again. These are really fun 1970s stories that showcase Wonder Woman's strength as a heroine. It's a really delightful read.



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Book Review: uperman: Action Comics, Volume 1: Invisible Mafia

Superman: Action Comics, Volume 1: Invisible Mafia by Brian Michael Bendis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Overall, Brian Michael Bendis' first Superman story arc in Action Comics is pretty solid. Superman's investigating a rash of fires in Metropolis. The first opening scene is hilarious when a fellow crook is criticizing a guy trying to shoot Superman.

The rest of the book is good. It has a well-designed villain, good pacing, and a few cute queues. We do get a bit of Lois Lane in this book and that's probably my least favorite part as she sounds a bit off, both in her voice as well as some of the actions she's taking in distancing herself from Superman. It's a convenience to Bendis, but makes less sense for the character. Still for what is, this is pretty solid.



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Book Review: The Flash: Year One

The Flash: Year One by Joshua Williamson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Joshua Williamson sets to write a post-New 52/DC Rebirth origin for the Barry Allen Flash and it actually works quite well. It's not over the top great, but it's an enjoyable read that incorporates the sort of time travel hi-jinks that have been part of the Flash books for years and at the same time pays tribute to the classic origin of the character. I like the fact that the Big Bad for this book is the Turtle, just like in the Silver Age. Williamson to make the turtle a solid threat without compromising the character.

Overall, this is a worthy take on the Flash's origin that's well worth reading.



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