The Bum’s Rush #51

One Year Later…

Starting in March all of DC Comics regular titles jumped ahead one year from the conclusion of the Infinite Crisis mini-series. During that time heroes have gone missing, people have died, come together, been born and the whole world has changed. Almost every major monthly title at DC has not only gained a new status quo but also a new creative team. How do these revamped and revitalized titles measure up? Was the One Year Later event really necessary? I decided to answer these questions for myself by reading the first One Year Later issue of every DC title. Want to know what I thought? Read on.

Aquaman #40 by Kurt Busiek and Butch Guice – A young man awakens underwater with no clue as to how he got there. After saving one of Aquaman’s foes, the fearsome King Shark, the young man meets someone named the Dweller in the Depths, who explains that the young man is destined to become Aquaman! But Aquaman already exists doesn’t he? What happened to the original Aquaman and why does this young man bear so many striking similarities to him?

Kurt Busiek definitely pulled out all the stops with his debut issue. I loved the mysteries and clues presented in this issue and I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here. Will the real Aquaman return or will this new Aquaman take his place forever? And Butch Guice’s art is phenomenal, presenting a haunting underwater seascape and some terrific character designs. This could be the creative direction that Aquaman has needed for years.

Birds of Prey #92 by Gail Simone and Paulo Siqueira – The Birds of Prey are busier than ever as they try to secure a defector from the villainous Society before he can be killed. But where’s Black Canary? And why has Lady Shiva, the most ruthless assassin in the world, taken her place?

To see what I thought of this issue just check out my review for the book here. It was probably one of my favorites of the One Year Later titles.

Blue Beetle #1 by Keith Giffen, John Rogers and Cully Hamner – Alternating between the past and the present, this first issue starts as the new Blue Beetle arrives back on Earth after his battle against the orbiting satellite, Brother Eye, as detailed in Infinite Crisis #6. Before he can even get his bearings Beetle is attacked by Guy Gardener, who appears to be out of his mind with rage. The story then jumps backwards to tell the story of how teenager Jaime Reyes first encountered and bonded with the mystical scarab that powered the original Blue Beetle.

This is one of the best debut issues I’ve read in a looong time. Giffen and Rogers have created a likeable and intelligent teenage character (for a change) whose life is turned into a nightmare when he receives strange new powers. And Cully Hamner’s artwork is absolutely amazing. This is definitely a book worth checking out, whether you’re a Blue Beetle fan or not.

Catwoman #53 by Will Pfeifer and David Lopez – Selina Kyle is living under an assumed name and has just given birth to a baby girl named Helena! Taking her place as the guardian of the East End of Gotham City is her best friend Holly, who’s got a lot to learn about being Catwoman.

Catwoman #53 is another strong One Year Later title. To see more of my thoughts on this issue check out my review for the book here.

Detective Comics #817 and Batman #651 by James Robinson, Don Kramer and Leonard Kirk – It’s been a year since Batman and Robin have been sighted in Gotham City. But now they’re back and just in time to take on a ruthless killer who is hunting down and murdering members of Batman’s infamous rogues gallery.

The first two issues of James Robinson’s eight-part “Face the Face” storyline are quite possibly the most surprising of the One Year Later titles so far marking the return of Commissioner James Gordon and previously disgraced Detective Harvey Bullock to their original positions, the powering up of some old villains and the deaths of some of Batman’s most fearsome foes. With the reintroduction of some familiar faces and Batman and Robin back together and hot on the trail of a mysterious killer I couldn’t be more thrilled with this back to basics approach that sets the stage for superstars Grant Morrison and Paul Dini to take over the books in a few months.

Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #23 by Stuart Moore and Jamal Igle – Firestorm battles to stop a nuclear weapons test from becoming a nuclear disaster. And with Professor Martin Stein missing, just whom is Jason Rusch sharing the Firestorm Matrix with now?

I just can’t seem to get interested in Firestorm. Don’t get me wrong, this was a really solid issue, with a good story and superb art by Jamal Igle but I guess Firestorm just doesn’t do anything for me. If you’ve been enjoying Stuart Moore’s run on the book so far then I’m sure you’ll love this issue.

Green Arrow #60 by Judd Winick and Scott McDaniel – Star City is a disaster area after having suffered a devastating attack one year earlier. And while Green Arrow has been absent ever since, Ollie Queen is still taking care of his town… as mayor!

Ugh. The worst of the batch, I could barely finish reading this issue. Judd Winick is so hit or miss for me. I loved his run on Batman and his Superman/Shazam mini-series was excellent but when it comes to his other mainstream superhero books I just find myself completely underwhelmed. Not to mention the fact that the big “surprise ending” is that Ollie Queen is now the mayor of Star City wasn’t really that much of a surprise at all considering it’s plastered all over the cover. And what’s up with Scott McDaniel’s artwork. I loved this guy from the first time I saw him on Daredevil all the way through his momentous runs on Nightwing and Batman. But now it looks like he spends 20 minutes drawing these pages. Bleh.

Green Lantern #10 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis – Hal Jordan has become an international outlaw, having crossed into Russia on several occasions as the Green Lantern, a clear violation of the Freedom of Power Treaty which illegalizes American metahuman activity in countries that have adopted it. Now Jordan finds himself at war with the Rocket Reds and assassins from outer space.

I’m torn. On the one hand some very important things are introduced in this issue, such as the Freedom of Power Treaty, which is sure to affect every corner of the DCU. On the other hand, Hal Jordan still bores me to tears. He’s too good. He’s too brave, too smart, too sure of himself, so much so that he just seems fake. I think Johns is a hell of a writer but there’s just something about this book that always seemed off to me. But then there’s the new artist, Ivan Reis who’s kicking so much ass it’s unreal. I just wish I could decide once and for all whether or not I like this book.

Hawkgirl #50 by Walt Simonson and Howard Chaykin – Hawkman may be missing but Hawkgirl, a.k.a. Kendra Saunders, has remained in St. Roch, museum curator by day and lone hero by night. When Kendra begins to dream about the missing Hawkman a number of strange events begin to occur and she may not survive for long. Formerly called Hawkman, this title has been renamed Hawkgirl starting with this issue.

If it weren’t for Howard Chaykin’s art this book would be completely unreadable. There are just some writers who, thought they were once upon a time the best of the best, are completely out of date in today’s industry. I hate to say it, but I think Simonson is one of those guys. The endless and pointless exposition, characters talking out loud for absolutely no reason except to explain what’s happening. It's all so damn cheesy. As much as I’m probably going to be reviled for saying so, this is the absolute worst thing that could happen to this title.

JSA #83 by Paul Levitz, Rags Morales and Luke Ross – Though no longer officially a team, the JSA gather for a friendly dinner which turns deadly as they discover that they’ve all been visited by ghosts from their past and one of their oldest foes is behind it all.

Another writer who’s out of touch with today’s comics and it’s the President of the company no less! To be fair, it’s been years since Levitz has written comics on a regular basis but I can’t help thinking that the only reason he’s allowed to write this title is because, hey, who’s going to tell him no? JSA #83 is the most pointless of the One Year Later books, simply skipping forward a year not because it was necessary but because everyone else did too.

JSA Classified #10 by Stuart Moore and Paul Gulacy – Vandal Savage returns to Earth after a year as a fugitive in space. Once home the immortal Savage discovers that he may not have long to live. But the villain decides that he’s not going down without a fight and tracks down one of his oldest and most powerful foes, the original Green Lantern, for a little payback.

Man, it just ain’t the JSA’s day. I loved the initial Power Girl story arc that kicked off the JSA Classified series but this story with Vandal Savage seems to exist purely to fill pages rather than tell a meaningful or necessary story. I just find it hard to believe that instead of trying to use his remaining time among the living finding a cure for himself, Savage instead decides to go pick a fight, almost at random, with the original Green Lantern. Yeah, punching and kicking in tights… I’ve never seen that before. Whoa, that came off a lot nastier than I meant it to. I just wasn’t that impressed.

Manhunter #20 by Marc Andreyko and Javier Pina – After battling the husband and wife criminals, Punch and Jewelee, Manhunter receives a visit from DEO director, Mr. Bones. And what's his assignment for Manhunter? To defend the evil Dr. Psycho at his upcoming trial.

I liked the first few issues of this series but not having read it in some time I was completely lost in this issue. I understand that there are mysteries and changes that have happened in the year since the last issue. I can deal with that. Why make it more difficult for new readers to get into by not explaining who some of these people are and what they’re doing. This book almost seems to miss the point of the One Year Later event altogether.

Nightwing #118 by Bruce Jones and Joe Dodd – Someone calling himself Nightwing is running around New York City killing criminals, but it’s not Dick Grayson! Who is this other Nightwing and how long before the two run across each other?

I’m a little disappointed that this is where the Jason Todd story (started in Batman) ended up. Perhaps if Dick Grayson was no longer Nightwing and Todd was the only one running around using the name but that’s not the case. Plus it was sooo hard to tell which Nightwing was which, if I was reading a scene with Dick Grayson or Todd or what. And what’s with all these superheroes sleeping with random chicks whose names they don’t know? Not the worst One Year Later title, but far from the best.

Outsiders #34 by Judd Winick and Matthew Clark – The Outsiders are dead. Or are they? That sure looks like them running around in Africa trying to stop a murderous despot from killing his own people. And the new Captain Boomerang is there, on the side of the angels!

Another Judd Winick book I just can’t get into. While I didn’t have a problem with this issue like I did with Green Arrow, I just couldn’t get into it. Kinda like Firestorm. I just don’t care. But it’s a cool premise, having Captain Boomerang on the team and the idea that everyone is supposed to thing that the whole team is dead. It’ll be interesting to see where this goes, but I’m not sure if I’m interested enough.

Robin #148 by Adam Beechen and Karl Kerschl – After being attacked by a mysterious assailant Robin finds himself accused of killing Batgirl. Except the dead woman wearing the Batgirl costume isn’t Cassandra Cain, the real Batgirl. Now, with everyone in Gotham accusing him of murder, Robin has to clear his name. Without the help of Batman!

This was another really fantastic One Year Later issue, my second favorite of the bunch right after the Superman titles. Tim Drake has changed, both in appearance and in attitude, becoming much more like his mentor than ever before. He’s cool, he’s confident and he’s got some real guts. More than ever, this Robin seems poised to step out of the shadows of his predecessors and become the greatest of them all. Plus there are even more hints about the general attitude that the world has towards its heroes one year after the Crisis. The one drawback to this issue is that it’s Karl Kerchl’s only one. I was hoping that he’d stick around for a while, especially after seeing the entire issue, but he’s moving on to other things. On the bright side the preview pages I’ve seen by incoming artist Freddie Williams III look pretty sharp.

Supergirl and The Legion of Superheroes #16 by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson – The Legion are no longer a rebellious guerilla organization. Now they are working in conjunction with the United Planets. But not everyone’s happy about the situation. Plus, Supergirl shows up with a startling revelation that may change the Legion and their world forever.

To read my thoughts on this book just check out the review I did for it right here. Let me just say that I wasn’t a fan of this book before the name change and I ain’t a fan of it now.

Superman #650 and Action Comics #837 by Kurt Busiek, Geoff Johns and Pete Woods – Superman’s been gone for a year, but that’s fine by Clark Kent, whose career at the Daily Planet has never looked hotter and his relationship with his wife has never been better. But with a penniless Lex Luthor free on the streets and plenty of new villains hitting town who’s going to take care of Metropolis?

Yay! This is the best of the bunch and the best Superman comics I’ve read in years. And Superman hasn’t even shown up yet! The mystery of Clark Kent’s power loss has yet to be revealed but it’s great to see how he’s dealing with it. But Clark’s lack of powers doesn’t stop this from being an epic story, with big villains, big heroics and lots of surprises. It’s such a bright and hopeful storyline, sharply contrasting the darker and more depressing storylines that seemed to plague the Superman titles over the past few years. And just look at Pete Woods’ gorgeous artwork! Simply amazing. Everyone should be reading Superman and Action Comics right now!

Teen Titans #34 by Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel – After a yearlong coma, Cyborg awakens to find that the Teen Titans have changed beyond recognition. The new lineup now includes the Blue Devil’s sidekick, Deathstroke’s daughter and Robin, who’s trying desperately to hold the team together.

The whole One Year Later event might be played to it’s greatest effect in this issue of Teen Titans as this book seems like it’s changed the most during the missing year. Almost the entire original cast is gone and the team certainly seems to be in dire straights with Robin barely holding it together. This is the best Teen Titans has been in several issues and it will be interesting to see things build back up from what is obviously a fresh beginning for the team. If only they could get a better artist for the series. Tony Daniel just isn’t doing it for me.

Whew!

So yeah, there were some fantastic issues to come out of this event, a number of which will surely find their way on to my pull list at Titan Comics. So it looks as though the One Year Later event worked for me! I’m excited by the amount of energy and thought being put into these books. Sure, there were a few stinkers, but they’re not books I regularly collect anyway so I don’t really feel like I’m missing much. None of the books I loved got any worse. In fact, they got better! I’m looking forward to seeing the mysteries unravel and what’s in store for my favorite characters next. It’s sure to be fun and surprising.

But what happened to this “brighter and happier” DC Universe that we were promised? If anything things seem darker than ever. I sincerely hope that some of these books do indeed lighten up a little bit. The rest of the DC stable should take a look at what’s going on in the Superman books right now and realize that things don’t necessarily have to be so dark.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how things play out over the next few months as the new creative teams get settled in. There’s still a lot of stuff on the horizon, from new ongoing titles like Flash and Wonder Woman to the massive series 52, which will clue readers in on what exactly happened during that missing year, and I’m excited!

It’s One Year Later and I’m a bigger fan of DC than ever. How about you?


Quick Bits

Warning! Nothing you read here in Quick Bits should be considered FACT until it actually happens. Which it might not. How do you know I’m not just making all this crap up? I could, you know. You’ve been warned!

1. Go here to check out all the nominees for the 2006 Eisner Awards.
2. I was really holding out hope, but alas it appears that the Heroes Reborn revival project, Onslaught Reborn, by Jeph Loeb and Rob Liefeld is not an April Fools Day joke. Unless… unless maybe someone at Marvel thought they sent out the “Haha, Just Kidding!” email to everyone but they actually forgot? Maybe? Please?
3. It looks as though those rumors about Stephen King not actually writing the Dark Tower comic (based on his popular Gunslinger novels) were true. Instead, Peter David will be scripting the series, based on an outline by King’s former research assistant, Robin Furth, who will be creating the outline based on story and direction guidelines from Mr. King himself. Wow. So we went right from “Stephen King writing comics for Marvel!!!” to “Stephen doesn’t really want any of us talking to him or even associating with him in any way, but he did send us some scribbles on a napkin about the Dark Tower… or possibly his grocery list!” Amazing.
4. The new Heroes for Hire title that was announced as a new book spinning out of the Civil War will apparently have direct connections to the current Daughters of the Dragon mini-series (which is an excellent book). So I have to assume that Daughters of the Dragon, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, will also be writing the new Heroes for Hire. Man, I should be, like, an investigative reporter or something the way I’m connecting all these dots.
5. Chris Claremont was recently diagnosed with cardiac stress after succumbing to a bout of exhaustion during a conference in Italy on March 5th. Accordingly, the writer will be taking a short break from writing comics, with some of his upcoming projects being pushed back to a later date. For the time being other writers will be scripting a number of his current titles, such as Excalibur and Uncanny X-Men, using Claremont’s original plots. As much as like to give the guy crap in my column from time to time I certainly don’t wish him any ill will and I sincerely hope he gets well soon.

NEXT WEEK: Speaking of One Year Later, next week is the ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY of Stumblebum Studios 2.0!! Join me here for a really big column (hopefully) with some really cool surprises (maybe) and a chance to win one million dollars (not really)!

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