Todd Klein's Blog, page 149

Incoming: THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN BATMAN NOIR

Image © DC Entertainment. Written and illustrated by Frank Miller.

This is a new black and white edition of the sequel to Miller’s BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT from 2001-2002. The original was colored by Lynn Varley, I lettered it by hand (one of the last DC projects for that, I think). It was not the ringing success of the first one, but it certainly has its moments. I believe it goes on sale March 28. The book is a little larger than the first printing, and without color, Frank’s every line is in the spotlight. If you’re a Miller fan, you’ll enjoy that, as I did.

And Then I Read: SHADE THE CHANGING GIRL #12

Image © DC Entertainment. Written by Cecil Castellucci, art by Marley Zarcone and Ande Parks, colors not credited, probably Kelly Fitzpatrick, letters by Saida Temofonte.

Shade and her idol, the actress who played Honey Rich on TV decades ago, have switched bodies with Shade’s madness magic. Both are enjoying the experience, as Honey quickly lands an acting role and Shade gets to be there to see it all, but things start going wrong soon. First, LePuck shows up from Meta, Shade’s best friend there, and he has a confession of love for her, but delivers it to Honey in Shade’s body, creating much confusion. Meanwhile, Honey’s elderly body suffers what looks like a heart attack, sending Shade to the hospital. Will this be the end of her? Back on Meta, Mellu finally gets his hands on the Madness coat, and goes off to find the original Shade, lost somewhere in the madness. When Mellu finds him, his welcome is less warm than he expected.

I enjoyed reading this, and particularly seeing it tied in to the previous Shade series I lettered much of, but the story is confusing and choppy at times, almost as if parts were left out. There is a lot to cover here, as way is made for the Milk Wars crossover starting next issue. Perhaps the Madness is creeping into the script?

Recommended.

And Then I Read: HAL JORDAN & THE GL CORPS 28

Image © DC Entertainment. Written by Robert Venditti, Art by Rafa Sandoval and Jordi Tarragona, colors by Tomeu Morey, letters by Dave Sharpe.

Hal Jordan is trying to catch up to Lightray, the “messenger of the New Gods” equivalent to Mercury of the Roman Gods. Lightray has his dad, Highfather, in tow, both being tailed by two Omega Beams, the godlike equivalent of tracker nuclear missiles. That’s the setup, but most of the issue is a great conversation between Hal and the ghost of his father. Hal’s created a fighter jet with his ring for the pursuit, and somehow his dad is in the back seat. Is it a hallucination? Hard to say, but the conversation is choice, the memories are warm, and the banter is charming. There’s so much more to a story like this than a simple slugfest.

Very well done, and recommended.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERNS #26

Image © DC Entertainment. Written by Sam Humphries, art by Ronan Cliquet, colors by Ulises Arreola, letters by Dave Sharpe.

Regular series can always use a change of pace, and here we have an issue in which the title characters do not appear. Instead, we have the story of Volthoom, the first Lantern, the first power ring, and how he teams up with Rami to delve further into his mysterious gifts, the ring and a “travel lantern” that brought him to Malthus, home of the Guardians billions of years ago. Volthoom wants to use the ring to return to his home planet in the past to save it from destruction. The Guardians have sequestered the travel lantern to keep him from leaving, but he hopes that, with Rami on his side, he can get what he wants. Rami feels bad for Volthoom, though he’s supposed to have suppressed all his emotions. Together they try to master the ring and all it’s colors, but the ring’s power soon leads Volthoom down a violent and dangerous path.

Nicely done. Recommended.

And Then I Read: THE FLASH #29

Image © DC Entertainment. Written by Joshua Williamson, art by Pop Mhan and Christian Duce, colors by Hi-Fi, letters by Steve Wands.

Barry Allen’s powers have been revised by the Negative Speed Force (courtesy of Reverse Flash), making them much more perilous for him to use. First, they are more destructive to people and things around him, something he can’t control. Second, his healing powers are reduced. This means Barry’s recent battle with Shrapnel has left him battered physically and emotionally. At work, Barry is supposed to be investigating thefts from police evidence with a team of three others on the force, and when he finally finds time to get started on that (after having to walk to work: can’t use those speed powers unless absolutely necessary), Barry finds some shocking events have occurred inside police headquarters.

I enjoyed this, the changes to Flash’s powers, though undoubtedly temporary, serve to make him more human and sympathetic, and the other police staff he’s working with are interesting characters, too. Recommended.

And Then I Read: SHADE THE CHANGING GIRL #11

Image © DC Entertainment. Written by Cecil Castellucci, art by Marley Zarcone and Ande Parks, colors by Kelly Fitzgerald, letters by Saida Temofonte.

Shade has tracked her favorite retro TV star, Honey, to Hollywood, specifically an old age home for former stars. Honey herself, depressed by her age and lost career, is ready to end her life, and has already taken pills to do so when Shade appears and reverses the process with some madness magic that switches their bodies, so Shade is in the old Honey’s body and Honey is in Shade’s (which was already a repossession of a catatonic school girl). This makes for a fun story as the two of them dress up and go out on the town together, each learning from the other. Honey is drawn to a film crew shooting an episode of something, and soon catches the eye of the director. Meanwhile, back on Meta, the quest to find Shade continues, and others are also searching for her, following the clues left by her madness magic. The “Life With Honey” backup by Castellucci with artist Marguerite Sauvage is also fun. Honey and her friends try to crash a lecture on Atomic Energy, but can only do it by dressing up as men (unconvincingly).

My off and on opinion of this title is back to on this time. Recommended.

Rereading: DR. DOLITTLE’S GARDEN by Hugh Lofting

Dust jacket for an early edition, art by Hugh Lofting.

This book continues straight on from “Dr. Dolittle’s Zoo,” and is in four parts, with the first part reading like leftover material from that book. It’s another story from the Home for Crossbred Dogs, one of the sections of the Dolittle Zoo in his expansive garden, and is mainly the story of a terrier named Quetch who sets out to live on his own in the wilderness completely apart from humans. His story is interesting and full of incidents that eventually bring him to the Zoo. Tommy Stubbins is once more the narrator and the Doctor’s assistant, taking down Quetch’s tale.

The rest of the book is a build-up to Dolittle’s next great adventure: a trip to the moon, though that trip is only just begun by the end of it. Part two has the Doctor exploring the language of insects, to the great annoyance of his household, as he brings in all sorts to try in his listening machine. Eventually he succeeds and hears many stories of the insect world, even back to prehistoric times “before there was a moon.” Stories about giant moths fascinate everyone, and culminate with one arriving in the Doctor’s back garden one night. It turns out it’s an envoy from the moon, where many giant insects live, and they have invited Dolittle to visit them on the moth’s back, with the help of some giant flowers that give out large amounts of oxygen.

Soon the Dolittle household is convinced the Doctor is going to go off to the moon without them, or most of them, and Tommy Stubbins hatches plans to go along too, even without permission. Who can blame him? But the presence of the giant moth, and rumors of what’s been going on in Dolittle’s back garden, have attracted a large crowd of peepers and reporters trying to get more information, upsetting everyone’s plans.

While the opening section of this book is a little slow, the rest builds in excitement and interest. One does have to put aside what we know about the moon and possible travel there in this fantasy from 1927, and enjoy the adventure as it unfolds.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERNS #25

Image © DC Entertainment. Written by Sam Humphries, art by Robson Rocha and Daniel Henriques, colors by Alex Sollazzo, letters by Dave Sharpe.

Simon and Jessica are on a mission from GL Headquarters, escorting the renegade Guardian Rami to a previously unknown Guardian hiding place, the Vault of Shadows, a repository for things they wanted kept secret but not destroyed. Unknown to the novice pair, Rami’s mind is in the control of Volthoom, the first Lantern, thought long dead billions of years ago. He is after the second generation power rings kept here, as well as something hidden in another unexpected place. As Jessica and Simon wait for Rami to find what he came for, they reminisce about Earth, on their first extended visit to space (or almost anywhere for Jessica). We also see more about the recipients of the seven early power rings, worn by the first Corps. And, back on Earth, Simon’s best friend is waiting to see if he will show up for his birthday, as promised.

I’m enjoying this story a lot, the mix of Corps lore and current conniving is a good one, and the new GLs in space is a fun side topic. The coloring on this issue by Daniel Henriques is magnificent, and deserves special applause. It appears to be painted color, what would have been done on bluelines in the old days, and the watercolor-like textures and details add a lot to the story.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: HAL JORDAN & THE GL CORPS 27

Image © DC Entertainment. Written by Robert Venditti, art by Rafa Sandoval and Jordi Tarragona, colors by Tomeu Morey, letters by Dave Sharpe.

Not for the first time, Jack Kirby’s New Gods are crossing over with the GL Corps in this book. Only this book so far, and as the New Gods do not have their own title, the entire story is here (I think), so I’m okay with that. But is it a good read?

Hal and Kyle are trying to save Orion of the New Gods from the attack of some giant robots programmed eons ago by the head of the OLD gods, Yuga Khan, the father of Highfather, and therefore the grandfather of Orion. Yuga Khan feared he would be overthrown by his own progeny, and so it happened. He’s now entombed in the Source Wall. These robots have suddenly come back to life with the mission of destroying all the New Gods. Interesting back story, that. These giant robots are formidable, and the only way they might be stopped is to convince them that Orion is dead. The only way Hal and company can do that is to kill Orion. Interesting, gruesome and complicated developments ensue!

Orion does not read particularly like the Kirby version, but I still enjoyed this. Recommended.

And Then I Read: THE FLASH #28

Image © DC Entertainment. Written by Joshua Williamson, art by Carmine Di Giandomenico, colors by Hi-Fi, letters by Steve Wands.

Barry Allen has returned from the 25th Century with new powers from the negative speed force, through his struggles with Reverse-Flash. He’s also come back no longer in a relationship with Iris West. Both these things are weighing heavily on him. Despite the resemblance in the art to Superman’s Bizarro counterparts, the negative speed force seems to merely make The Flash’s powers much more destructive, leading Barry to try to avoid using them as much as possible. At work, Barry is one of several police employees charged with finding out who has been stealing evidence from old cases, though the others involved don’t seem to think he’ll contribute anything worthwhile. Barry tends to agree, and he’s in no mood to concentrate on work. Meanwhile, a new menace from an old villain surfaces, and Barry’s new powers don’t seem to be much help in stopping him. In short, Barry is not having a good time.

Recommended.