Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes, page 52

Book Review: Essential Sub-Mariner, Vol. 1

Essential Sub-Mariner, Vol. 1 by Stan Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects the Sub-mariner's guest appearance in Daredevil #7 and then his half book length stories in Tales to Astonish #70-101 (exception is a full book length crossover with the Hulk in Issue 100), Tales of Suspense #80, and Iron Man and Submariner #1 and the first issue of the Silver Age Submariner comic book.

The book has its weak spots. The Daredevil crossover is odd and it feels like it was included to get the book over 500 pages in length. The villains are probably the biggest one. His villains aren't horrible, but they aren't memorable. Warlord Krang dominates the first half of the book and he's like a character out of Flash Gordon, undersea villains Attuma and Prince Byrrah are serviceable. Then Namor ends up fighting other characters' second tier villains like the Plunderer and the Puppet Master. The most interesting villain and the one who we don't actually fully understand even by the end of the book is "The Man Called Destiny" who claims to have defeated the Sub-mariner before.

What works about this book? To start with, there are the characters. Lady Dorma grows throughout the book. She starts out as a somewhat gullible and fickle female who helps Krang rise to power because of Namor's interest in Sue Storm, but she becomes a strong voice of reason which Namor really needs. I was somewhat annoyed that she seemed to fade from the reader's attention around Issue 95. It's a shame because she's probably one of the best female characters of the Silver Age.

Then there's Namor himself. To be honest, he's not quite as well written as he was during the Golden Age or even the Atlas era during the time he's written by Stan Lee, but he's still a fascinating character. He's a hothead, arrogant, prone to rash acts of violence, and has a chip on his shouler. On the other, he's also a noble character who truly seeks to do the right thing for his Kingdom. He's a warrior but resists ill-timed wars on the Surface World. He remains utterly unpredictable which makes him fun to read.

What I also like about the book is that everything Namor does has an epic nature to it, including his frequent shouts of, "Imperius Rex." It doesn't matter that he's mostly fighting second tier villains. The way he fights them is epic and the art really helps here. There are a variety of artists who work on the book but they all capture the Sub-mariner's fighting style which makes for a very vibrant style.

So, in conclusion, while this isn't the greatest Marvel book of the era, it is actually well-worth reading. It has a noble but unpredictable protagonist, some great art, and a great female lead in Lady Dorma. With all that, why was anyone above the age of 10 reading Aquaman rather than this in the 1960s? 'Nuff Said.



View all my reviews

Book Review: Doom Patrol Archives, Volume 5

The Doom Patrol Archives, Vol. 5 by Arnold Drake

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book collects the last eight issue of the epic Doom Patrol run from issues 114-121 and there's so much to commend the book.

The Madam Rogue storyline where the Chief reforms her briefly by removing the evil from her is a great story arc, with some unusual psychological imagery that really does build pathos leading right up to the book's ending.

The book finishes up Beast Boy's origin story and we get to see Elastigirl and Mento as adopted parents for Beast Boy, and how they try to help that very different boy survive in a difficult world. While there are some scenes that make modern reader. wince a bit, the family moments feel real and are quite touching.

The villains are mostly pure silver age. They're all okay but aren't quite as memorable as earlier villains like General Immortus, but they're still fun to read. A couple are quite relevant to 1960s life. One is a guru with suspect motives in a time when gurus were popular, even being followed by celebrities. The Wrecker in Issue 120 was a lot like many of the anarchists of the day. My favorite part of that story is that we get to see Robomen in a lot of robot stories.

And then there's the ending...It's gutsy, brave, and heroic. It's the end of the Doom Patrol and they do it in a way that feels true the team and the heroes they've become. It's a believable end to the journey that that began back in My Secret Adventure #80 from embittered outcasts to truly noble heroes. The end hurts because the writing was so good and the characters truly felt real. The only problem I had with the issue was the intro and exit lobbying for kids to buy comics to save the Doom Patrol. It was probably meant to soften the blow for young fans who originally read it, but it feels a little distracting all these years later.

Overall, Drake's Doom Patrol is an all-time classic Comics run. For Silver Age greatness, it's as solid as Stan Lee's work on Spider-man and Fantastic Four runs. Really a must-read for any comics fan.



View all my reviews

Book Review: Nightwing, Volume 1: Better than Batman

Nightwing, Volume 1: Better Than Batman by Tim Seeley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects Nightwing: Rebirth, Nightwing 1-4 and 7 and 8. This book started off somewhat awkwardly in the Rebirth story and Issue 1. While each story has had a lot of narration to establish the status quo for new readers, this book it felt a tad excessive, even over-indulgent and egocentric on Dick Grayson's behalf. In addition, some art seems a bit off, particularly on Doctor Leviticus.

But then the story gets going. Dick has agreed to work for the Court of Owls as Nightwing because they they have implanted a bomb in Robin (which he has secretly removed), but he wants to play things his own way, not killing or walking on the dark side. However, the Court of Owls wants to bend him to their way, so they give him a partner in the thief Raptor, a man who isn't what he seems, insists that everything Batman has taught him is wrong.

The rest of the book is very interesting as Dick tries to take down the court of Owls and figure out Raptor. Dick is put through the ringer and the nature of Raptor, and the Raptor's true identity takes the book into some deep waters and probes questions like how far should you tow the line between light and darkness, whether you do short term harm to play the long game, the nature of justice (should it be focused on law or on "Robin Hood" style robbing from the rich to give to the poor), as well as the idea of family and adoption. It's about those things, but it doesn't stop being a superhero saga either, which makes it work.

If you like a deeper story or Dick Grayson, this is a good one to check out. It is worth noting that this book unlike other DC Rebirth books doesn't have some ongoing puzzle or hook to keep you reading, but I think the overall quality of the writing is sufficient is for that after the first couple of issues.



View all my reviews

Book Review: Shazam: A Celebration of 75 Years

Shazam! A Celebration of 75 Years by Bill Parker

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This books collects numerous books through Shazam (Captain Marvel)'s history. The Golden Age section really is a treasure of wonderful firsts and great stories with Captain Marvel's origin story, the first Mary Marvel tale, and the first Marvel family story (with them battling Black Adam in his first appearance.) We also get to see Captain Marvel battle the Earth is a surreal tale, as well as two chapters from the Monster Society of Evil storyline and Captain Marvel taking on the Seven deadly sins. These stories are top notch and some of the best the Golden Age had to offer.

The second section begins with the Superman story, "Make Way for Captain Thunder" which has Supes taking on an alternate universe version of Captain Marvel. Still, don't think it belongs in this collection...Then we see a couple stories from the 1970s Shazam comic, a back up story from World's Finest, and then a Superman/Captain Marvel team up against Black Adam. I like all these fine. They're not quite as much fun as the Golden Age tales, but still pretty good.

Captain Marvel battles Lobo in a somewhat pointless story in L.E.G.I.O.N. #31 and it's okay, but really pointless because of it's sudden stop and start that the reader of this book has no way of knowing about.

Then we have more modern Captain Marvel comics beginning with the Power of Shazam #1 and #2 which set up this run of Captain Marvel and it's not bad. It doesn't have the magic of the earlier runs, but it has some nice moments. It does give, "Yeah, this is a face only a Mother Could Love" (Power of Shazam #33) some context but it's still not a great story. It's kind of dismal and depressing as well as not all that sensitive to ]victims of disfigurement.

O Captain, My Captain (Action Comics #768) features mostly the Marvel family trying to get Superman's help as something has gone wrong, and Superman gets to examine his own impressions of Captain Marvel and of Lois. The story doesn't really feel like it fits in Action Comics modern day, it feels like a modern all ages book and that works both for it and against it.

JSA #48 is a somewhat pointless story that has Billy Batson talking to Stargirl while she fights some things. It's the pointless story in the book.

Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil #2 creates the second issue of the lovely Jeff Smith mini-series which has come closets to capturing the come closest to capturing the pure joy of the original. It's hurt by the fact it's only one part in the mini-series.

The same goes for the new 52 entry, Justice League #21, the issue actually concludes a longer story arc and while it's not bad, it really feels disconnected without the other tales.

Overall, this collection was okay. I was a lot harder on the Shazam: The Greatest Stories Ever Told when it came back even though it had similar stories. Why I feel more generous to this has to do with the fact that the book doesn't claim to collect "the greatest stories," only to celebrate the character's entire history which this book does.

The quality of the stories are mixed because since the Golden Age, comics have really struggled with handling the character properly. In addition, the one shot story that was king in the Golden Age is far rarer in our age of writing comics "for the trades." That's not the book's fault. The Golden Age stuff is pure gold. The rest ranges from "meh" to "okay." That doesn't reflect on the compilers but on how comics, and particularly Shazam comics have been published.



View all my reviews

Book Review: Doc Savage: Flight Into Fear

Flight into Fear by Kenneth Robeson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Taking a hero and depriving of all their tropes is an idea that has a long history and works to the current day. Think of Iron Man III with Tony Stark's simple conclusion, "You can take away my house, all my tricks and toys. One thing you can't take away...I am Iron Man."

This book does something similar with Doc Savage. His secret gadgets and super amazing vehicles are gone as are his awesome team of partners, yet what's left isn't Doc Savage. Doc Savage, the Bronze Man of the 1930s who is almost other worldly in his bearing and has a very precise way of speaking has become a walking series of hard boiled clichés. Some of this can legitimately be blamed on him going undercover as a hard boiled criminal named Banner as part of his espionage mission, but Doc's entire personality and bearing has changed so has the character's practically unrecognizable.

He's on a mission behind enemy lines during the Cold War and his whole charade as Banner has been to set up this mission which he almost doesn't go on, which is understandable given who accompanies him. Instead of Ham and Monk, Doc is saddled with two annoying and unlikable security agents. The senior and more annoying agent is Dryden, a good man once (or so the narrator tells us) until one mission behind enemy lines, he's now a lush. Breckenridge is younger and unbelievably immature for the job he holds. Both are whiny, insufferable, and make the entire mission far more difficult than it needs to be.

So why is Doc on this mission anyway? A genius with almost unlimited financial resources and his own fortress of solitude could probably do far better for his country during the Cold War than playing cloak and dagger with a drunk and a wet behind his ears younger agent. In addition, due to Doc's striking appearance, he requires more make than a movie Batman villain to not stick out. So he's not the best top secret operative. The thing is that Doc has a contract out on him by the Soviet government and the person who is set to carry out the contract is the sinister Red Widow, a figure that strikes terror in both Doc's heart and Dryden's. Given all that Doc has faced, the idea that there's someone who absolutely strikes terror in Doc's heart is actually a brilliant idea. It's just not well-executed. It's emphasized too many times. They only meet twice and they never have that true full on confrontation. Plus, the way the Widow plot is resolved isn't really satisfying.

The pacing on this is slow. It seems to take forever to get out of New York City after interminable conversations and they spend far too much time on the boat. The action picks up but it's more than 80% through the book before it finds a good pace.

But it does find its pace and there are some good moments. While Doc's confrontation of Paul Poltov in the Bar was a bit of character, it was really fun. When they did finally leave the boat, it was exciting. Plus the book was written by Will Murray which means that even when the book was bad, it had moments when it felt like it was so bad, it's good.

So bottom line, if you're looking for a book that feels like Doc Savage, this isn't for you. If you want something that's ridiculously over the top with how bad it is with a few good action bits thrown in, you might enjoy it.




View all my reviews

Book Review: Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Volume 4 - The Endless Song

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Volume 4 - The Endless Song by Nick Abadzis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects the Tenth Doctor Year 2, Issues 1-5.

The titular two issue story is great. It's everything a Doctor Who comic story should be. An adventure the Doctor could believably have, but really couldn't work on TV and hear we have a floating city in the cloud with gaseous tree cows and a conceptual musical being made of cosmic foam. The art brings this to life and drives the whole story.

The middle story is not all that great. It has some interesting art with Cindy reading a letter from Gabby, but is essentially a Doctor-lite issue with a plot that goes nowhere in this book but hopefully sets up events for a later book.

The final two issue story has the Doctor and Gabby heading back to pre-historic times where they encounter a Neanderthal medicine man. The story wasn't bad and it exceeded my expectations given the general history of Doctor Who and Cave Man stories.

Overall, the book is above average.



View all my reviews

Book Review: Batman Chronicles, Volume 6

The Batman Chronicles, Vol. 6 by Bill Finger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collect early Batman stories from 1942 in World's Finest #5 and #6, Batman 10 and 11, and Batman #62-65.

The story's are pretty but slightly below standard for Batman golden age stories but still above average for Golden Age stories in general.

Some highlights:

The Princess of Plunder (Batman #10): Catwoman's only appearance in the book and she pulls off some very clever heists the dynamic duo has to foil.

Sheriff of Ghost Town (Batman #10): Batman and Robin go to a Ghost Town that's about 50 years behind the times. It's a fun if silly story in which Batman and Robin spend a lot of the story on horseback but it has some nice heartfelt moment in it too.

The Joker's Advertising Game (Batman #11): The Joker uses clues in the classifieds to stage a crime campaign. This is fun and clever, though in later years, this sort of plot would go to the Riddler.

Four Birds of a Feather (Batman #11): The Penguin and three confederates to Florida to work a scam only to find that Batman's down there. Best part of the story, Batman punches out an octopus.

The Secret of Bruce Wayne (World's Finest #6): An earnest reporter is given an assignment to uncover Batman's secret identity. The reporter is actually an interesting character with a very believable conflict between his morality and his need to get the story. It also covers a lot of ground.

The Cop Who Hated Batman (Detective Comics #65): Another interesting character. This time it's a police officer who has a dislike for the Dark Knight. A very engaging story with some nice twists.

The Lowlights of the book:

Crime Takes a Holiday (World's Finest #5): It starts off promising enough as criminals agree to a plan to abandon crime in Gotham. What happens afterwards just doesn't live up to the premise. It falls flat.

Laugh Town Laugh (Detective Comics #62): The Joker isn't amused when he finds out America's top comics have been invited to compete for clues leading to the fortune of the World's funniest man. This was later the basis for an episode of Batman: The New Animated Series, but this one plays out as a very samey Batman story.

The Isle That Time Forgot (Batman #10): A somewhat dumb story that has Batman and Robin getting onto an island with primitives and monsters.

A Gentleman in Gotham (Detective Comics #63): What did we need a Raffles knock off named Baffles? Gets more off putting each time I read it.

The Most Jokerish story:

The Joker Walks the Last Mile (Detective Comics #64): The Joker turns himself in so he can get executed and then he gets a pill that makes alive again so that he can live a normal life as he's already been executed for his old crimes and immediately goes out and starts committing more crimes because he's the Joker.

The other stories are all at least servicable and there's enough good ones to make this worthwhile. Overall, I'd give it 3.5 stars, round it up to 4.



View all my reviews

Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes, Vol. 3

Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes, Vol. 3 by Bill Everett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects the brief revival of the Sub-mariner in his own comic from Issues 33-42.

The bulk of the comic stories feature the Sub-mariner. Original artist Bill Everett to draw all the Sub-mariner stories an the art in this book is absolutely superb and a cut above most Silver Age art. The stories are mostly well-written.

In the Silver Age, comic books would become obsessed with telling what Superheroes did during their childhood, ranging from the often weak tales of Aquaman and Wonder Woman to the epic Asgard tales of young Thor and Loki. Everett was ahead of his time in the mid-1950s, from Issue 35-42 we get eight tales looking at adventures of Namor as a child and they're far above the quality of most Silver Age stories. (Though not quite as epic as Thor's.)

The adult stories were mostly fun tales of the Sub-marienr taking on criminals, commies, and an alien here or there. The biggest problem I had with those stories was some of the consistency. For the first half of the book, Sub-mariner was the friend of surface people and tried to thwart his evil Stepbrother's attempts to start trouble. Then the Emperor of Atlantis powers him up and orders him to declare war on the surface people and he does lackadaisically, half-heartedly, and at times a disregard for lives, and then towards the end, the war is dropped. It's weird because the reason this book was kept going while Captain America and Human Torch were cancelled was because they planned on making a TV series out of Sub-mariner. Hard to do that with someone trying to wipe out mankind.

Other than that betrayal of the character and a few stories hindered by the rigid space requirement, the stories were all enjoyable.

The Human Torch appears in three back upstories and they're okay if unremarkable. Probably the best story is in Issue #33 which has the Torch taking on weird alien creatures. The art is really fun on that one. The other two involve a plague outbreak, and an attempt to frame the Human Torch.

After the Torch leaves, the back up feature becomes sea-based and doesn't feature recurring characters. The ones involving people at sea are good, but the four nature comics that center on the struggle of a sea creature features outstanding art and some great action as the they fight for their lives.

The text stories are okay. They're forgettable but will pass a couple minutes and allowed the comic company to ship out a lower rate.

The rare comics reprinted are a joy with solid artwork and enjoyable stories. Recommended for any fan of comic history or Namor.



View all my reviews

Book Review: Green Lanterns, Volume 1: Rage Planet

Green Lanterns, Volume 1: Rage Planet by Sam Humphries

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a very different sort of Superhero book. Ostensibly it's about a Red Lantern invasion of Earth with Earth's Fifth and Sixth Green Lanterns Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz having to defend Earth. Yet, our heroes have a problem.

Simon has a chip on his shoulder from being sent to Guantanamo though he was innocent. Even though he's relatively new to being a Green Lantern, he's really sure that he doesn't need Jessica. Jessica suffers from anxiety and has spent the past three years living in her own apartment, can't use her ring to make a construct, and isn't sure she's up to the job.

Admittedly, this book isn't for everyone. It's about the heroes fighting their own demons as much as it is fighting the Red Lantern core. Yet, I think writer Sam Humphries manages to balance the personal journeys of the characters with the action plot most of the time and the pay off in the final chapter of the story was worth the read to me. I liked how he worked in several nice little sub-plots that are resolved in this volume while leaving some larger questions for later exploration.

The emotional stuff can get a bit heavy, but I found myself liking and cheering for these characters, so even though it's not a typical comic book story, I really enjoyed it.



View all my reviews

Book Review: Penguins of Madagscar: When in Rome

Penguins of Madagascar: When in Rome... by Alex Matthews

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects three separate tales featuring the Penguins of Madagascar.

"The Great Drain Robbery" is probably the weakest of the three. It has the Penguins battling an army of rats over food in New York City. It's not bad, and it's the most normal thing they do in this book.

"When in Rome" is the best story and the Penguins look most like themselves. They investigate a magic act that's competing with their circus and there's a twist as to what's going on. The story's gotten a certain insanity to it. I wish the resolution had been better, but this plenty enjoyable.

"Night Out" is typical Penguins mayhem as they hit the town after borrowing a hot car from a celebrity. If you love the Penguins doing crazy things, this is great story.

The book is geared towards younger kids and the extra features reflect that. The pin-ups are all bright and fun to look at and the games are fun if nothing special.

If you love the Penguins or your kids do, this is a worthwhile and fun book to check out.



View all my reviews