Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes, page 50

Batman: Volume 2: I Am Suicide

Batman, Volume 2: I Am Suicide by Tom King

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Batman has to captures Psycho Pirate from Bane's prison in order to get help for Gotham Girl and he puts together his own squad of criminals who will help him in exchange for some favors if they should get out alive. While it's similar to the Suicide Squad, it isn't the main reason for the title.

As for the story, particularly the first five issues is okay and the art is really good. What kills it is the writing. Tom King repeats things. Repeats things a lot. Changes sentences and just makes a small change and repeats what was said before. He does that. He does that a lot. He says things. Things he says in order to sound profound by re-arranging the order of words. Poetry. It's supposed to be poetic like an old noir story. A story that's Noirish and repeats things to sound poetic because it's an old noir story.

But they have a secret. The best of them have a secret. It's a secret Tom King doesn't know. Or maybe Tom King knows the secret but got carried away. You see you can repeat things. You can repeat a lot of things. You can say a sentence and then modify it. You can say a sentence and modify it a few times. However, you can't just say a sentence and then modify all the time. You can repeat things, but you can't repeat things all the time. It becomes repetitive and pretentious. Pretentious and repetitive is what it becomes.

As opposed to the first volume, I didn't like this take on Batman. He was often irresponsible particularly in the final two issues. And the way he's knocked for a loop and put in peril in Issue #15 is just foolish beyond imagination.

So overall, I'm not a fan of this volume and reading it leaves me dubious about whether Volume 3 will be worth reading.



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Book Review: Superman, Volume 2: Trial of the Super Sons

Superman, Volume 2: Trial of the Super Sons by Peter J. Tomasi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects Issues 7-13 of Superman and gives us four distinct stories:

Our Town (#7): Finds the Kent family out for a trip to the county fair. Clark has promised Lois no superheroing and even left his outfit at home. But then he overhears robbers planning to knock over the box office and has to figure out something. This is just a light and fun little tale that gives a nice look at the Kent's background.

Escape from Dinosaur Island (#8 and #9): Superman and Jon find themselves on an island inhabited by dinosaurs as well as characters from the War Comic, "The Losers" and meet Captain Storm of the Navy. This is a fun diversion of just a father and son adventure in a strange place.

The Trial of the Super Sons (#10 and #11): Robin (Damian Wayne) kidnaps Jon for concern he might be a threat which leads to friction between Superman and Batman, which is quickly settled but their sons' behavior makes the two Superfathers concerned that their offspring may not be ready for their capes and so they're taken away and they are put on trial where they will have to learn to work together (or will they?). Overall, a very fun story that pays homage to the Bronze/Silver Age of the Super Sons and brings it up to date.

Super-Monster (#12 and #13): Lois is going in for an interview ti the local paper when the editor is attacked by a super-powered Frankenstein monster who reveals the editor has been replaced by an alien war criminal after a lot of fighting. The story is nice as it does just focus on Superman and Lois in the story. When the Bride of Frankenstein appears, there's also kind of a nice undertone about the blessing and often fragility of marriage in high stress situations.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It's not for everyone, but I found is is immensely entertaining. It continues this exploration of Superman and family from the previous book in ways that are charming. It doesn't forget about action, but it does seem to take a back seat to exploring these characters and overall, I'm good with that.



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Book Review: Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, Volume 1: Who Is Oracle?

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, Volume 1: Who Is Oracle? by Shawna Benson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Rebirth relaunch of Birds and Prey begins with Batgirl calling in Black Canary to find out who has co-opted her old Oracle identity and started using it to help out organized crime. One of their leads is also targeted by the Huntress, the daughter of a mafia family whose whole family was killed in a single night and is seeking deadly vengeance. Batgirls invites her to an uneasy alliance.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I'll admit that the actual solution to the mystery of Oracle was a bit underwhelming, however the key is the character interaction and journey. Batgirl deals with a big question of identity and her feelings about this theft, while Huntress has to decide whether she can align with the Birds of Prey's non-lethal ways and find a new family. Black Canary is much more a supporting character in this and really a fun one with a lot of sass and sarcasm.

We also find out what Batgirl was doing drifting through Asia in her solo book (apparently she was training.) We also are left with a question as to what her realtors are trying to do in breaking in. Hopefully, that will be addressed in the next book. I'll definitely be reading.



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Book Review: Batgirl, Volume 3 (Death Wish)

Batgirl, Vol. 3: Death Wish by Kelley Puckett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects Issues 17-20, 22-23, 25 of Cassandra Cain's run as Batgirl. This book is one of those comic stories that works better as a trade. Individually, except for the final issue, these stories seem unconnected okay crime adventures with Robin (Tim Drake) and Spoiler joining her on a couple cases one issue being dedicated to a long dialogue between Batman and Oracle about her.

However, read as a trade, it's actually a very good character story about Batgirl dealing with her guilt over killing a man as a child and the ticking time bomb which is her battle to the death with her mother Lady Shiva. Within the context of the trade, it's a longer story as she deals with her guilt and her true nature. Batman's observation that she's not a killer because how could a killer get what we do here, is a thought provoking idea. The conversation works in the context of the book because so much of is action, it actually makes a nice break. What makes the book pay off is the final chapter with the battle with Lady Shiva. The fight and the revelations that come out of it make for a nice twist. Overall, a good story where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.



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Book Review: The Infinity Gauntlet

The Infinity Gauntlet by Jim Starlin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Infinity Guantlet starts out low as Thanos flexes his new found power on the universe in the sick and twisted ways that only Thanos could. The book gains focus in the second in a great cosmic battle that brings in players from across the universe. It's an impressive show of cosmic brawn on a massive scale drawn by the great George Perez. Definitely, an epic tale and one of the few companywide crossovers that is really a worthwhile read.



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Book Review: The Amazing Spider-Man: The Ultimate Newspaper Comics Collection, Volume 3 (1981-1982)

The Amazing Spider-Man: The Ultimate Newspaper Comics Collection, Volume 3 by Stan Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book covers both daily and Sunday newspaper strips of the Amazing Spider-man from January 12, 1981-December 31, 1982.

The book features the appearance of two known Supervillains: Doctor Octopus (who is out for revenge and for Aunt May's heart) and Doctor Doom: Who is out to take over the world after a flying saucer crashed in Latveria. Beyond this, the book offers a stream of other plots: There's a man with telekinetic powers who wants to defeat Spidey as the first step on the road to world domination, robots bent on world domination, an assassination plot that Spidey gets involved in because Peter Parker's apartment is going co-op, a group of Spider-man fan vigilantes, an attempt to cash in Spidey's image with Spidey jeans, a wealthy woman who wants to learn Spidey's identity because she's attracted to him, and a thrilling cross-country spy thriller among other plots.

Overall, this was good. No plot overstayed its welcome (a big danger for these sort of strips.) Some were actually quite exception (my favorite probably being the cross country chase.) The important thing to remember about the comic strip is that it's written for a different audience and probably should be viewed as being in a different universe than typical Marvel comic books (as evidenced by Spidey thinking the Sub-mariner was a mere comic book character in the last pages of this book.) It's more goofy and lighter with one plot having the absurd idea that someone would think J. Jonah Jameson was Spider-man. I do think Lee laid politics on a little thick with the overt identification of some groups as conservative and there were a few weaker plot turns, but overall the book is good if you're looking for some fun Spider-man stories with a lighter touch.



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Book Review: al Jordan & the Green Lantern Corps, Volume 1: Sinestro's Law

Hal Jordan & the Green Lantern Corps, Volume 1: Sinestro's Law by Robert Venditti

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Green Lantern books have been some of DC's best-sellers and I've been curious about them, but to someone who hasn't read them they can be a bit impenetrable. There have been so many events and so many different books with so many different Green Lanterns, it's hard to know where to start. It's as close to the X-Men as any DC book gets.

This book is actually a great jumping on point. It doesn't toss away all that's come before, but it doesn't hit you over the head with a bunch of needless continuity. It gives you enough to understand what's going on and the current state of play, which has been marked by the apparent disappearance of the Green Lantern corps and the emergence of Sinestro's Yellow Lanterns as the chief enforcers of order in the Galaxy, but unbeknownst to Sinestro Hal Jordan survived as did a small percentage of Lantern (though an amazingly high percentage of those who are familiar from other media.)

The story is a great space opera with plenty of action. Hal Jordan is an awesome man of action who has a superb story arc and a brilliant conclusion. Guy Gardener has some good moments as well. This is just an incredibly fun entry story into the Green Lantern universe. Highly recommended.



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Book Review: Batgirl: Volume 1: Beyond Burnside

Batgirl, Volume 1: Beyond Burnside by Hope Larson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book marks the DC Rebirth beginning of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl as she travels through Asia, meets an old high school flame, and encounters a country-spanning mystery, which is resolved in the second to last issue. In the final issue in the book we get a fun meeting with Poison Ivy on a plane.

The art is decent, the actual mystery story is, on its own, okay, and held my attention. I liked the character and the story showed some good research had been done.

My problem with the book is that I didn't see the point of it. My hope with the Rebirth books is that they would serve as an easy jumping on point for new readers. This book fails at that. Why is Barbara travelling Asia? What does she do in Burnside? Who is her best friend in the wheelchair she calls a couple of times? I've got the Burnside books on my to-read list, but if I have to read them before I know what's going on with the character, then the point of Rebirth is somewhat lost with Batgirl.

I did like the character, so I will probably pick up Volume 2, but this book doesn't work as a jumping on point.



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Book Review: Doctor Who: The Supremacy of the Cybermen

Doctor Who: The Supremacy of the Cybermen by George Mann

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is Titan's Second Big Doctor Who crossover featuring all the Doctors who have ongoing series, although not together, but in an event that is linked by an effort of the Cybermen to become supreme in all time and space. The story has a bit of a sequel to the Series 9 finale Hellbent built into it.

Overall, the story isn't bad and there's a lot of good moments and great ideas that are realized throughout the story. The big problem is that there's a pointless to much of the book. Essentially, everything with the prior Doctors is pointless and irrelevant to solving the problem with the Cybermen. This could have been probably told in 1 or 2 issues of the Twelfth Doctor's book. It's a multi-Doctor where the Doctors don't interact. This wasn't bad, but it's really skippable.



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Book Review: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: You Know It's True

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Volume 2: Squirrel You Know It's True by Ryan North

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This second volume of Squirrel Girl collects Issues 5-8 of the first series of Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.

Issue 5 finds Nancy being held hostage in a bank and hoping for the rescue of Squirrel Girl. She shares this with her fellow captives who tell stories they've heard of Squirrel Girl where she was a sidekick to Captain America and had a clone saga. You get to see Squirrel Girl in a lot of different sub-genres. This sort of story has been done a few times, usually with Batman, but I like their execution here.

Issues 6-8 are a bigger story arc that finds Squirrel meeting Chipmunk Hunk and Koi, Chipmunk and Fish themed crimefighters in time for the coming of Ratatoskr, the evil Norse Squirrel god leading up to a team up with the female Thor and the superhero formerly known as Thor. The story is a fun take on the big crossover events that we're going on in Marvel at the time.

The book also includes a story from GLX-Mas Special #1 where she battles MODOK and then a back up story from The Thing #8 from 2006 where she teams up with the Thing against Bi-Beast and she saves the Thing in the most hilariously disgusting way possible. Finally, the book includes a one-page from Age of Heroes #3 where she announces that she's leaving the Great Lakes Avengers. That story is actually kinda pointless.

Overall, I found this book to be fun and well-adorable and the reprinted letters pages add to the charm. It's a book that doesn't take itself seriously and just has a lot of fun doing so. It even poked fun at Marvel's practice of constantly restarting series. I appreciated how they made up for their only being four issues in this trade by throwing in a lot of past material featuring Squrrel Girl which would be a pain to track down.

The book is simple enough for kids to enjoy but has enough humorous bits that the right type of adult reader will like it as well. Overall, this was just a blast to read.



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