Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes, page 51

Book Review: Daring Adventures of Supergirl, Volume 1

Daring Adventures of Supergirl, Volume 1 by Paul Kupperberg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects Issues 1-12 of the pre-Crisis Daring Adventures of Supergirl. In the book, in her secret identity of Linda Danvers, Supergirl travels to Chicago to continue her education, majoring in psychology to understand the criminal mind.

The art is enjoyable and pleasant. It really does capture the character of Linda Danvers as this sort of sweet girl next door who just happens to have been born on another planet. In her Supergirl guise, she adds the sort of line of sarcastic banter that was standard issue for superheroes of her era.

The adventures themselves are okay. The first Issue suffers from a bit of overwriting as they cram Supergirl's origin story and history into the volume with a lot of expository dialogue. The villains she faces off like Decay, the Gang, or a crime syndicate are menaces but mostly forgettable. The same thing for the New Doom Patrol, who crossover for a couple issues. The most memorable story in the book is Supergirl battling half a dozen one foot tall duplicates of herself was enjoyably silly at a level rarely seen since the end of the Silver Age.

Overall, while this book is by no means essential reading, it was certainly a pleasant, fun, and innocent read featuring the beloved pre-Crisis Supergirl.



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Book Review: Titans: The Return of Wally West

Titans, Volume 1: The Return of Wally West by Dan Abnett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


DC Rebirth's key plot was the return of the original Wally West, one of DC's most beloved characters who was sidelined with the launch of the New 52. This book continues his story as he is able to get his best friends , The Titans to remember him and then face off against the man who made him disappear.

This is a solid story. The writing really taps into the emotion of Wally West, who has lost so much and the ideas of friendship, love, and heroism make this a compelling story from start to finish. It ranks up with the Superman stories for really capturing the emotion of this admittedly fantastic situation.

If the book has any pitfalls, it may be that for a team book, it's too Wally West focused. You only get vague impressions of the rest of the Titans and who they are. Hopefully, they'll be fleshed out more in future volumes. Overall, this is still a very impressive and enjoyable read.



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Book Review: Batman: Night of the Monster Men

Batman: Night of the Monster Men by Steve Orlando

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book is a crossover between Batman, Detective Comics, and Nightwing as the heroes of all three books unite to face off against an invasion of monsters in Gotham during a natural disaster. The story is okay, with a lot of good action, but it doesn't really do a whole lot to stand out. If it does anything, it does allow some reflection by characters involved in Detective Comics about what happened to Tim Drake.

The story has some sequences that go on too long such as Cacssandra Cain and Stephanie Brown with the cave of confused and angry citizens. But on a more positive note, the story does feature a classic Batman villain with a crazy plan but doesn't go too far with it.

Overall, this crossover is okay, but eminently skippable.



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Book Review: Flash Gordon: On Planet Mongo

Flash Gordon: On the Planet Mongo: Sundays 1934-37 by Alex Raymond

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Flash Gordon was a response to Buck Rogers and a fairly good one. Rather than relying on a Rip Van Winkle like Rogers, Gordon, Professor Zarkoff, and Dale Arden are shot onto the strange planet Mongo, which is dominated by Ming the Merciless but filled with amazing lands dominated by Ming the Merciless, but with many strange and wonderful kingdoms.

The art is really top notch and one area where the book outshines Buck Rogers easily. Flash is a man of action and really the art captures it gloriously and sets a very high standard for the era before the launch of Action Comics. Alex Raymond does a great job realizing all these strange creatures that inhabit Mongo.

The stories are okay and have more of a fantasy feel in many ways with Witch Queens and underseas people. Most of these stories are Base Under Siege tales where someone wants to marry Flash, someone else wants to marry Dale, and they win over their tormentors as allies, often by punching them.

Overall, the book is a solid enough read that holds up well despite a few unfortunate stereotypes. There are some interesting characters such as Ming's Daughter, and a whole lot of great action and fun.



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Book Review: Doc Savage: Resurrection Day/Repel

Resurrection Day / Repel by Lester Dent

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book collects two short Doc Savage Novels published in 1936 and 1937, "Resurrection Day" and "Repel."

In Resurrection Day, Doc has discovered a chemical that can resurrect the dead, but he can only do it once. The evil criminal genius General Ino has in mind a historical figure in mind who he would like to see resurrect (and what evil criminal genius worth his salt doesn't.) and a battle of wits is on that will end up with Doc and Ino matching wits in the dessert.

In Repel, a volcano explodes and Doc goes running along with the criminal minature genius Cadwiller Olden, a figure who Doc was bound to tangle with sooner or later. He and his international cabal were after Repel, a dangerous new element.

Overall, having read several of Will Murray's newer Doc Savage novels, I have to say that I like these and in fact, prefer them. The shorter fiction form works for Doc and really makes the stories pacier and more exciting with less capture and release. Yes, they're pulp adventure stories with all the flaws of that genre, but if you like that sort of story, these really are top notch for what they are.

Of the two, I liked Resurrection Day better. Doc is determined to use his one shot at resurrection to bring back someone who will benefit humanity but Ino's greed gets in the way, and it's unspoken message shows how the evil in men's can lay waste the best intentions of science. It also happened over a much shorter time, so it had very little lag in it.

Repel had an added sense of mystery as well as an intriguing villain in Cadwiller Olden, yet Olden had some big inconsistencies with Doc Savage and his men. He ordered Doc's men executed in one case and so Doc had to rescue them in order for them to live. Doc failed to rescue them, and they still live with Olden keeping them alive to be killed at another time for no reason he states or actually makes any sense. At the start of the book, he has the gall to want Doc captured alive to work for him and then he wants him dead. This is just of a few points where I thought Repel could have used an extra edit. However, my enjoyment of the story wasn't ruined, but Resurrection Day was a better story overall.

One thing that's great about the novels is it also includes reprints of the original pulp illustrations which are really a treat to see. The book also includes an introduction by Comic Book great Peter David, and two enlightening commentaries by Will Murray.

These extras make the book a treasure for fans of Pulp Fiction despite a few rough spots in the stories. Overall, a very compelling volume.



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Book Review:"Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Volume 6 - Sins of the Father

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Volume 6 - Sins of the Father by Nick Abadzis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Sin of the Father collect Issues 11-14 of the Tenth Doctor Year 2 storyline. It begins with the Doctor, Gabby, and Cindy arriving in the Jazz age where Cindy falls for a hy young musician and then an alien strikes and the Doctor has to stop the alien from fulfilling its ultimate purpose.

The second story has the Doctor and Cindy going off on a mission to fulfill their deal with Anubis' quest and discover something astounding and mysterious on a familiar planet while Dorothy and Gabby hang back in Anubis' garden and make discoveries of their own. The plot has some great twists and turns with an ending that would be solid if not for one big issue.

The Anubis storyline has been in the background for the last four books and it's not resolved at the end of year two. Instead, we're left with a big mystery for year three rather than a resolution, which is disappointing.

The final story doesn't carry on this storyline. It's a story featuring three of the Titan Comics Doctors that's spread across time and space. This is okay. I just wish I knew where it was from.

What does make the book work is the character development. I really began to get a sense of who Cindy was as a character, which I hadn't had before and how they compliment each other in the TARDIS. The stories themselves were fine, but the art is a less spectacular than when the series began and more just servicable.

I'm still interested enough to carry on for the next volume, and hopefully that will have some resolution to the big issues of Year 2.



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Book Review: Doctor Who: The Glorious Dead

Doctor Who: The Glorious Dead by Scott Gray

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is the second book of Eighth Doctor Comic Strips collecting stories from #272-296 of Doctor Who Magazine and back up tales from Doctor Who Weekly #5-7, #23 and #24. This is the last Black and White collection for Doctor Who

The Fallen (#273-276): A sequel to the TV movie that finds Grace Holloway (the Doctor's one shot companion from that movie) involved in some dodgy genetic experiments that lead to monstrous consequences. It's good follow up to a story that really had problems and explores the idea that the Doctor's encouragement that Grace was destined for greatness led her to take this detour is interesting and there are some good character moment. Grade: B

Unnatural Born Killers (#277): The Sontarans are attacking and who can stop them? How about a lone well-intentioned Cyberman who thinks like a Bronze Age Marvel Comics character? This story serves as a re-introduction to Kroton, who turned on the Cybermen in the Doctor Who weekly back up feature at the end of the book. He was a great concept character that only got two story arcs back in the 1980s and his reintroduction here is glorious. Really one of Doctor Who's best Comic book characters. The two Doctor Who Weekly stories at the end of the book are also great reads. Grade: A

The Road to Hell ( 278-282): The Doctor and Izzy land in Medieval Japan during its most isolated time where aliens are both manipulating and feeding off the isolation in Japan at the time. This also introduces a character in a later event. Overall, grade: B+

The Company of Thieves (284-286): The Doctor and Izzy battle some decent space pirates with a surprise twist. This would be a good story but the Doctor and Izzy meets Kroton which is awesome enough to make this an even better one. Grade: A-

The Glorious Dead (287-296): A Ten Part(!) epic story that finds the Doctor, Izzy, and Kroton encountering a dangerous cult with old enemies behind it. I'm far from a fan of the philosophy beyond the story, but I give the writer points for originality for pushing beyond the usual cynical anti-religious tirades that Doctor Who spinoff media goes for for something original. It's an epic tale that succeeds in tying together so much of what's come before in this volume. Overall, quite lovely. And of course Krotonn is epic. Rating: A

The Autonomy Bug (297-299): Described by the author as Alice in Wonderland meets One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest , this story finds the Doctor and Izzy encountering Drones who are apparently developing personality, something that the villain can't abide. The art was a little odd in this one, but still I enjoyed it. Grade: B+

Happy Deathday (#272): It was a Doctor Who Anniversary and what better way to celebrate than having all of his old enemies team up to kill him and all his former selves. It's an amazingly effective and well-crafted story that manages to do a better job of giving every Doctor his due than the Prisoners in Time story despite that one having two full 20 page issues for the denoument and twelve issues overall. A really fun tale that almost makes the whole book worth the purchase price. Grade: A+

TV Action (DWM 283): An anniversary for Doctor Who magazine that features the return of the Beep the Meep, that great Fourth Doctor villain. It's a fun story with an appearance by the Fourth Doctor. with dialogue from an interview with Tom Baker. It's a hilarious nostalgic trip and the Interview portion reminds us how little "acting" as traditionally understood was involved in Baker's 4th Doctor because in playing the Fourth Doctor, Baker was in many ways, playing himself. Grade: A-

Overall, an incredibly strong collection of Doctor Who Comics. This is the last Black and White collection and it goes out with a bang rather than a bust.



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Book Review: The Twelfth Doctor: Volume 3-Hyperion

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Volume 3 - Hyperion by Robbie Morrison

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Hyperion collects Issues 11-15 of the Twelfth Doctor Comic series.

Issue 11 is a one shot that finds the Doctor and Clara at a Victorian estate where people have been suffering with strange dreams. This is a good story with a nice literary twist, but it wastes some panels on locals discussing Clara's outfit and her getting changed. Might work in a longer story but it doesn't really work or serve a purpose in the story.

Issues 12-15 is a story of the Hyperion Invasion of Earth. The Hyperion make for a truly great and destructive threat to the earth. They make an awesome foe. We're all given several characters to care about. and relate to and that makes it important. The art is well done and capture the scene beautifully.

Probably the best part of both stories is the Doctor. It's probably the biggest improvement from the first volume to this one is that feels like Morrison really has a grasp on who the Doctor is now. The Doctor is funny, clever, brave, and all those things you expect the Doctor but in a distinctly Twelfth Doctor style.

Overall, one of the better collections Titan has put out.



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Book Review: Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor, Volume 5: Arena of Fear

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor, Volume 5: Arena of Fear by Nick Abadzis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book collects Issues 6-10 of Year 2 of the Tenth Doctor.

Issues 6 and 7 is the titular Arena of Fear story with our characters all separated and without their memories, divided into two groups and some even are being used by the villains who took away everyone's memory. The story is okay, but it doesn't really going anywhere interesting, particularly with the build up in the last volume, you'd really expect something more epic. It felt like Jack Harkness was inserted to have a Captain Jack guest star and that the writer missed a key distinction with Jack's character.

The Free Comic book day special has Cindy joining the Doctor and Gabby in the TARDIS. It's fun, if a bit frantic and hard to follow.

Issues 8 and 9 has the Doctor visiting a paranormal book fair because of course you go to a book fair when you could anywhere in time and space. Gabby is doubting Cindy's place as the newbie in the TARDIS. There's possession, weirdness, and a bit of mystery. It's a fairly good story with a bit of pathos for the Doctor.

Issue 10 is another trapped in the TARDIS story with Cindy lost and the TARDIS possessed. It's very pacy and it sets thing up for another confrontation with the Osirans who dominated Volume 3.

Overall, the volume is okay. It's hurt by the art is not being quite as pretty as previous volumes but also, it feels like some things are done just because they can. The addition of Cindy to the TARDIS crew doesn't seem to add much. It's true that in the previous series of 11th Doctor stories, Rob Williams had two additional companions and it worked, but they had reasons to be there, Cindy just doesn't seem to, but we'll find out how it works out in the next volume.



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Book Review: Superman: Action Comics, Volume 1: Path of Doom

Superman: Action Comics, Volume 1: Path of Doom by Dan Jurgens

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book collects Action Comics 967-972 with the return of Post-Crisis Superman in the DC rebirth event.

The book has Superman in a rematch against Doomsday, the creature who famously killed him in the 1990s. Prior to the battle, he meets the New 52 Lex Luthor who is calling himself Superman. Superman doesn't believe it but Doomsday shows up and stops that. Also, in the battle, a Clark Kent shows up who's not Superman and there's a cameo by Superwoman. Wonder Woman appears and gives her blessing to the new Superman and meets Lois and Jon and is okay with them which is a good nod to fans of the New 52 Superman who was an item with Wonder WOman.

There are a few solid moments with Superman and his family that are moving, but mostly this book is a big battle book. It's a giant fight that stretches over six issues and that leads to quite a bit of padding. Wonder Woman's actions in the latter half of the book are confusing.

The book does best at its set up. It raises several key question. What is Luthor's motivation in taking up the "S"? Who is this Clark Kent? And what game are these mysterious cloaked aliens playing. While this book won't blow you away with its story, the characters are written well enough that you will want to find out answers to these questions. So overall, it's worthwhile for all the stage setting.



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