Archive for the ‘Fire’ Category

Justice League: Generation Lost #24 Review

Posted: April 29, 2011 in Aaron Lopresti, Brightest Day, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Dustin Nguyen, Fire, Ice, Judd Winick, Justice League International, Justice League: Generation Lost, Matt Ryan, Maxwell Lord, Travis Lanham
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Written By: Judd Winick

Artist: Aaron Lopresti

Inker: Matt Ryan

Colorist: Hi-Fi

Cover Artist: Dustin Nguyen

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Editor: Rex Ogle & Brian Cunningham

The Upsetting, Yet Satisfying Plot

OMAC Prime is on the rampage, copying the League’s powers and overtaking them.  Even Wonder Woman has some difficulties bringing down the big blue meanie.  Elsewhere, Max and Booster go tooth and nail in a knock-down, all-out fist fight, each showing a resilience and stamina that would make the initial fight between Doomsday and Superman look like child’s play.  (Not really, but it was a good comparison nonetheless.)

So what’s the purpose behind this miniseries?  I’m sure you can guess…

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

Here I am, geeking out over a series which reminds me of my childhood.  Growing up with the JLI took my life for a tale spin and changed it forever.  It is with this team that my love for comics began.  I hopped on board with Generation Lost half way through as my pocket book didn’t allow me to pick it up on a bi-weekly basis.  And now it’s issue #24 and I can’t believe I wasn’t follow the series since it hit comic book stands one year ago.  With issue #24, the conclusion of the best mini-series I’ve ever read from DC Comics has finally become reality, and the beginning of an exciting new revival series is just over the horizon.  And all I can do it wait, tapping my fingers in contagion, and bouncing my right leg up and down anxiously.

From page one to the end, #24 grabbed my attention and didn’t let go.  I was so into the story that I didn’t even hear my wife say “dinner is ready!  Put down you comic hang out with me!”  Yes, I have officially become a terrible husband…but it was worth it!  (Love ya on!)  Judd Winick’s masterful writing drives this issue into its successful conclusion, paying attention to the different personality traits of each individual character; Booster has never felt so determined, Blue Beetle continues to prove himself as one of the more competent youthful heroes in the DCU, and Rocket Red still maintains his goofy yet confident personality that causes me to laugh and cheer for him at the same time.

And like any good soap opera, this last issue leaves you wanting more.  The story is left somewhat unfinished yet successfully ends its purpose, leaving so many questions to ponder upon.  The difference with #24 however is this…The ending sucks!  It takes a lot of balls for a writer in any field to piss his or her readers off with an ending they didn’t want.  Max gets away.  He wins!  Just like the cover suggests.  Seriously, after all that investment we, the readers, put into this series…the bad guy wins.  This is a major literary blow to the head.  And for a brief moment, I wanted to pay the Secret Six to find Winick and end his miserable life by way of torture and death.  I was not happy.

Bu then it hit me, why am I allowing my preconceived notions about what I WANTED from this story to dictate what I think about its quality?  Clearly, Winick had a very specific plan for this series and allowing Max to win was part of it.  This wasn’t an ending that felt out of place nor did it feel unworthy of the great story that came before it…it was a good ending despite not getting to see Maxy brought to justice.  If anything, I’m ecstatic from realizing that the JLI monthly title is so close that I can touch it!

I don’t like the OMACs, and OMAC Prime is no exception.  I certainly wish Winick had chosen a different villain to bring in to fight the JLI.  My fear is that this big blue dummy is going to rear its ugly head over and over, becoming just as overplayed as Doomsday.  Oh well, Can’t have everything good I guess.  I did find it refreshingly interesting that Prime not only inherited his opponents powers, but also adopted their superhero attire as well.

I was sadly disappointed in how weak Wonder Woman felt when fighting Prime.  (It’s those leggings, they’re slowing her down!)  it was such a poor representation of what Wonder Woman has become in Straczynski’s run, and it’s not that great of a story to begin with.  However, the purpose with Wonder Woman’s inclusion in this story was met and utilized quite well…even if I don’t like it.  (ggrrrr)

I loved the fight between Maxwell Lord and Booster Gold – it showed how much growth both characters have undergone in the duration of this series.  I feel Max is being truly genuine in his actions and honestly does believe that what he is doing is the right thing to do.  This, in turn, makes him and even more likable villain because fans will have trouble discerning if they should root against or condone his actions.  Maxwell Lord has moved from being a character I despised to one of my favorite villains!  And it’s only going to get better from here.

And of course, the icing on the cake is Aaron Lopresti sketching everything out.  Hi-Fi is certainly a great colorist, but Lopresti is the force behind this visual masterpiece. Clean lines combined with rough edged artistry can never be underestimated.  And it was nice to see him working on Wonder Woman again…even if it is the ill-favored one.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

I had to read this book three times.  It called out to my nostalgia and reminded me of my childhood.  This may not be everyone’s cup ‘O tea, but it served my comics needs SO MUCH MORE than I expected it to.

I raise my glass to you Judd and Aaron, you did great work!  Best Mini-series of 2011, no contest!

10 out of 10 Stars

+ 3 Incentive Points.

Justice League: Generation Lost #22 Review

Posted: March 26, 2011 in Brightest Day, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Fire, Hi-Fi, Ice, Judd Winink, Justice League International, Justice League: Generation Lost, Tora Olafsdotter, Uncategorized, Wonder Woman
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Written By: Judd Winick

Penciller: Joe Bennett

Inker: Jack Jadson & Ruy Jose

Colorist: Hi-Fi

Cover Artist: Dustin Nguyen

Letterer: Swands

Editor: Rex Ogle & Brian Cunningham

The Fiendishly Diabolical Plot

As always, Batman jumps into the mix to provide some much needed advice and leadership in an almost unbeatable dilemma.  With the help of his alien armored suit, Blue Beetle has survived a bullet with Max Lord’s signature on it and was given a glimpse of the evil psychic’s plan.  Apparently not even Max Lord has the ability to leave the past behind and forgive Wonder Woman for snapping his neck so many years ago.  But just as the entire world can’t remember Max Lord, now no one can remember who Wonder Woman is.  It’s all a matter of time!  Who will get to Wonder Woman first, the League or Mr. Lord?

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

It’s the age old tale of heroes and villains rising from the dead; except with this issue, the team turns on their “giddy” switch at the sight of Blue Beetle standing in front of them.  Typically we see heroes receive no more than a stoic smile and a hearty handshake when returning from the afterlife.  Here we see some of the toughest heroes in the DCU turn into crazy-happy “normal” people at the sight of their NOT dead friend.  I wish we could see this side of our favorite heroes more often!  (But then again, I would also like to see DC actually kill off a hero and NOT bring him or her back.  Trends are nice, but they often times become too much.)

Wonder Woman is my favorite super hero in comics, who didn’t know that right?  It’s nice to see her featured in this subsection of the Brightest Day folklore.  I’m not sure if this was purposefully used to explain the changed continuity in her own self-titled book or if it was a last minute detail to help meet the demands of angry screaming fans over the dislike in Wonder Woman’s new found lifestyle.  Whatever the case, it helps me to understand where Michael Straczynski has been going with the Wonder Woman title.

To be honest, I wasn’t the least bit surprised by this series’ purpose.  It’s one evil plot after the next and it all leads up to Maxy’s hatred and bitter attitude towards Wonder Woman.  Amongst all the chaos and mind wiping, it all comes down to one person, and Maxy is bringing in the entire Omac army to take her down!  But I should have seen this coming right?  Comics are always about vendettas and about getting back at the hero that put you away…or in this case, the one who killed you.  With the history both Wonder Woman and Max has, why wouldn’t I have just deduced that Wonder Woman would have some major role to play in Lord’s endgame?  I guess that’s the sign of a good writer – Being able to convince your readers that the obvious ending won’t be the outcome.

But I wonder about the world forgetting about Wonder Woman; is it due to a mistake Max Lord made when wiping the minds everyone on Earth of his existence, or is it due to some higher power that conveniently started as Max fell into his pool of ice?

Side note: Rocket Red makes a pretty darned hot Amazonian princess, am I right?  But the real question is will the males reading this issue who are major homophobes be conflicted in their sexual preference after obviously getting aroused from seeing Rocket Red in Wonder Woman mode?  He’s still a male after all.

Joe Bennett, along with his team of inkers, Jack Jadson and Ruy Jose, leads in with an astounding display of artistic fervorence. (Again, my blog, my rules.  I’ll make up as many words as I want too!!!) Hi-Fi also brings in an amazing light-show as Max Lord sends out his physic message that transforms numerous innocent by standers into the blue-skinned mindless cyborgs.  But as much as I love every artist that’s worked on this miniseries, I certainly hope Lopresti make one last sketching appearance.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

This title is easily the best miniseries of the year!  I know its only March, but good grief, it’s just that good!  Why can’t the regular Brightest Day title be this awesome?  Now all I want to know is what the end result will create within the DCU?  Is this the beginning of a revived Justice League: International title, or will this be the dawning of something new for Max Lord?  What kind of role will he be playing in the future?  I really don’t want to see him die, he’s too good of a bad guy and would be a great addition to Wonder Woman’s list of villains and a great arch-enemy of the JLI.  (hint hint DC, I want to see regularly published JLI title!)

10 out of 10 stars

Justice League: Generation Lost #21 Review

Posted: March 15, 2011 in Brightest Day, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Fernando Dagnino, Fire, Hi-Fi, Ice, Justice League: Generation Lost, Tora Olafsdotter, Uncategorized
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Written By: Judd Winick

Pencils: Fernando Dagnino

Inker: Raul Fernandez

Colorist: Hi-Fi

Cover Artist: Dustin Nguyen

Letterer: Swands

Editor: Rex Ogle & Brian Cunningham

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

After shaking myself of the confusion of whether or not DC was still publishing their themed covers, (all white background with the protagonists charging at us with their emblem right behind) I opened up to a disheartening first page with Jaime Reyes lying down as lifeless as can be due with Booster hanging his head over the broken body.

In the tradition of Noah and his ark, this issue brings us a story which comes in pairs.  Booster lets all of his feelings out to fellow winged robot, Atom and Ice have a very hectic “coming to terms” talk with each other, and Rocket Red unintentionally shows Fire that he is the happiest and most positive thinker within the DC Universe.    In comics, writers have to give their team a mission…something that brings drama and action to every page.  But every once in a while, writers need to take a step back from all the chaos and allow the heroes a chance to remind themselves of what’s most important inside and outside of their lives. Each pairing was masterfully written by Winick; reminding us why we love these characters so much while also showing that these heroes have been greatly underused.

It all begins with Ted Kord, the most famous of the three Blue Beetles.  Jaime Reye’s death (cough…not dead…cough) brought back the explosive reminder that Ted Kord truly was a foundational unit within the JLI; verging on having the type of super sleuth skills the Dark Knight has.  (or had, depending on which Batman your thinking of…sheesh!)  The JLI was the comic book title that truly got me hooked on comics, so seeing all of this revolve around Blue Beetle’s memory is an incredible delight.

Why are these characters such underestimated heroes in the DCU?  I haven’t a clue!  They all have increasing potential with incredible stories to follow.  Seeing Ice help Atom boost his confidence in himself reminded me of why no one can justly say anything negative about DC’s sweetheart.  Likewise, Atom has always been portrayed as a stoic piece of metal with no more emotion in him than a toothpick.  But then Winick bursts into a song with the emotional meltdown Atom has with his self-doubt.  And of course Booster has always seemed like a self-absorbed, glory seeking dumb head, but deep down inside he is a true leader and devoted friend…he just needed some encouragement.

Somewhere along the way, Fire lost her flirtatious side and became this lean, mean, green military power house!  I’m sure Rocket Red was just as thrilled as we were (jealousy!!!) to see the spark light back up in her personality.

Is that not the best "Come Hither" look you've ever seen???

Wonder Woman may be my dark horse, with Power Girl being my mistress…but Fire has them all beat in being my hidden fantasy.  Gavril, you’d better treat her like a Queen!  Cause if you don’t…she’ll burn you.

Dagnino and Fernandez along with Hi-Fi (I still want to know who names their kid Hi-Fi!!) helped bring this stories dark beginning to an uplifting and meaningful end.  The shading verges on being an overdone aspect…yet the artistic team makes it work in ways I never thought possible.  The triumphant Blue Beetle rising up from his hospital-type bed is a shimmering example of how black power suits can still shine as much as Booster’s blue and gold tights.

Each scene’s color contrasting and merging seem to blend in well together.  It’s almost as if the artists planned how to make each scene work.  Ice and Atom perfectly filled the room up with silver and blue surroundings that gleamed and blended in together so well, while Fire and Rocket Red’s contrasting red and green auras came together in an amalgamated perfection.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

I was one of the many stragglers who hopped on board with this series towards its conclusion.  Only a few issues to go and I’m thankful I didn’t wait until the Brightest Day mess was finished up…otherwise this series wouldn’t have the same impact for me.  To be honest I haven’t read a bad issue of Generation Lost yet, and #21 is one of the best.

9 out of 10 stars