THE SANDMAN OVERTURE #1

Certainly this is the biggest release in comicdom in quite awhile, no? I was pondering what the last release was that could be thought of as just as big as this and thought of the Watchmen prequels...but those didn't have the original artist or writer...so what else is as big? I suppose DC's "new 52" reboot...but that wasn't just one book. But why even argue or contemplate it; the fact is, Neil Gaiman is back writing Sandman, his most famous creation, which ran 75 issues from 1989 to 1996 (and ran a bit longer through spin-offs not written by Gaiman). Neil Gaiman isn't really mainstream famous, but he's famous to readers and indie-rock listeners and film buffs. I admit that I've only read the first Sandman trade, which collected issues 1 to 8. It was very good, albeit apparently not good enough for me to continue. The story is, basically, about the king of dreams. In this six-issue mini-series, we find out how Sandman got captured in the very first issue. So, yes, it's a prequel. It's also...terrible. The art, by Batwoman artist JH Williams 3rd, is dreamy, interesting, and different. It's good but not as amazing as some of his Batwoman art. The book is hard to put a handle on. What IS going on? It's certainly not compelling but it is confusing. Oh, well...perhaps Gaiman should've learned from the awful Star Wars prequels. Sometimes you just shouldn't go back. *1/2

VELVET #1

A female James Bond...has it been done before? Probably. I just can't think of a book or film that comes to mind. I never saw JJ Abram's Alias TV show...that might have been similar. But here's a new female spy comic book from writer Ed Brubaker and artist Steve Epting. Brubaker, as you know, did a stellar run writing Captain America recently. While the broughaha was that he killed Steve Rogers, what he also did was make it a great book people talked about for the first time in decades. He quit Marvel to focus on his creator-owned book which was probably a good thing since his Winter Soldier book was barely compelling and his heart didn't seem into it. Fatale, his Satanic/monsters/crime mash-up book for Image, has been gang-busters, though, so he definitely is still a terrific writer when he cares. , though, so far is paint-by-numbers stuff. The art by Epting is top-notch and it's intriguing but not all-together great. Velvet is a spy in the 70's who ends up being falsely accused of being a villain and she must go on the run and apparently find out who's double-crossing her. It's a decent first issue but not something that screams originality or something that'd make you dying to get your hands on #2. **

EVENT BOOK WEEK!

This week was strange. I suppose with Labor Day and school starting the big two figured they should start their event books to bring forth a new surge of interest for the last, final quarter. Four event books hit this week. I bought them all (sucker). Three were fun. One was a slog. But they got me excited to actually go to a comic book store this week (I usually read digitally).

FOREVER EVIL #1: David Finch and Geoff Johns. The first big event of the "new 52" (which is three years old this month). This certainly had all of us curious. The other thing they've done is have 52 books this month focusing on a villain in each one instead of having the regular books out. So Superman #23.1 features Bizarro Superman, etc. They all have pretty cool 3-D covers (you don't need glasses...they're called "motion covers" or something). So this is the start of a big month for DC. This book, Forever Evil #1, has a group of villains from another dimension show up and proclaim that they've killed off the Justice League and that evil will reign. The catch? This group is made of an evil Superman that snorts kryptonian, an evil Green Lantern, an evil Flash, and two other foes. So yes...this is the opposite of Marvel's super serious Infinity. This is a lark, a fun, silly romp of sorts. It's certainly entertaining, though more along the lines of that Daredevil: Shadowland mini-series a few years ago. That was stupid, silly, but fun...and everyone hated it. I enjoyed this first issue (even though David Finch's art is half as good as it used to be)...and the mystery of what happened to the Justice League will keep most reading (c'mon...they're obviously held captive on some other earth somewhere). At 7 parts, though, will I still care in five months or whenever the hell it ends? **1/2

INFINITY #2: I've enjoyed Manhattan Projects, writer Jonathan Hickman's bizarre opus, but his Marvel stuff has mostly left me bored and/or confused. I did like a few issues of his Fantastic Four run, but his current Avengers run and now his event mini-series, Infinity, is a garbled heap of space opera junk. I do understand the jist of the tale (anyone who likes this book will tell its detractors that they're not smart enough or don't understand or don't know the whole history to "get it"); Thanos is the villain. But, seriously, who the fuck are the Inhumans, the Builders, the Shi'Ar, the Cull Obsidian, and the Illuminati? I know: they're boring. I've read "smart" and serious books in the past and enjoyed them. Sandman, Watchmen. Those books are great. Infinity is a dull slog. Marvel's dog of the year. 1/2*

X-MEN: BATTLE OF THE ATOM #1 & ALL NEW X-MEN #16: Is it still "all new" if it's at #16 already? Heh.Well these two are parts 1 and 2 of the new X-Men event, "Battle of the Atom." They tricked us by putting out two parts on the same day...so even if you hated part 1 the probability is that you probably bought both parts anyway. Sucker. Brian Bendis wrote both of these. Frank Cho drew the first, Stuart Immonen the second. Immonen has looked sloppy lately whereas Cho is all clean, fat lines that make his books look like a cartoon. The story has a future X-Men team showing up to warn the current X-Men that bringing back the 60's X-Men to present day is bad. So...yeah...the plot features 3 X-Men teams of 3 eras talking. There's some action with Sentinels...but I'm curious to see what the "atom" is or how this storyline will go 10 parts and warrant the "event" moniker. It's so far light and semi-fun. **1/2

BATMAN INCORPORATED #13

The last of the hanging-on, old "52" books is here, and now it's all over. Grant Morrison bows out of Batman, finally, but, c'mon...even Gaiman is doing Sandman again so Morrison and Batman probably aren't over. Morrison famously brought back Damian from the late 80's and then killed him off after making him the new, rough around the edges Robin. Morrison also killed Batman, sort of, and made a lot of us scratch our heads more than once. Morrison's run has been hit or miss...but I will say there have been more hits than misses. What he did bring was a fresh take on Batman. This isn't just bad guy vs. Batman...it's weird, strange, curious along with bad guy vs. Batman. The big bad has been Talia Al Ghoul. She gets shot in the head and apparently killed in this issue...but her body is dug up and there are more Damian's out there growing in glass jars. It's not over! Morrison's Batman run, a little less than ten years, has been one for the ages. This particular issue had some nice, gritty art by Chris Burnham. A solid ending. I miss it already. ***1/2

SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #2

Jim Lee is, obviously, one of the big dogs in comics. The one smart thing that Dan Didio and the crew at DC did when they started was to get him the hell out of the corporate office and back at the drawing table. Jim Lee penciled the first eight or so issues of Justice League, which looked pretty but were mediocre. Now they've put Lee on a new monthly Superman title with one of DC's biggest writers, Scott Snyder. Instant gold, right? Hardly. First off: they should have called this book Man of Steel. Superman Unchained is a lousy title (I'm guessing they watched Django Unchained right before this brilliant title idea). Second: the book is pretty bad. Perhaps if I hadn't read Snyder and Capullo's Batman #22 right after this I wouldn't have thought this. That book, amidst a year long origin tale, is fantastic. looks good but not great. Lee gets a little lazy in spots. The plot is very dull, too. General Lane has created a more powerful, Superman-like creature for no apparent reason. & Luthor is in some high-tech suit ready to do something...evil. Snyder perhaps hasn't found his "voice" yet with Superman. That, or he's just better off with the dark elements of comics like Batman, serial killers, and vampires. This new book isn't awful but it just is average at best. ** (out of ****)

THE SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #9 + ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #22

Back in the day (I'm old), Marvel used to have a bunch of Spider-Man titles. He is their premium character, right? So it makes sense to load the market with his books. The early 90's had The Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Spectacular Spider-Man, and Web of Spider-Man. I was a kid so I don't remember if all the titles were out at the same time...but basically every week you could read a Spider-Man book and if you didn't like one writer or one artist you could just pick the one book you enjoyed. DC realizes this earth-shattering idea and has a slew of Batman books out. Every week you can read one. Batman, Batman, Inc., Batman & Robin (Robin is dead...but the book is still being published), Detective Comics, The Dark Knight. DC is smart. Marvel has a few Spider-Man titles...but one is a team-up book (that doesn't count) and the other one has a black kid as Spider-Man. That leaves one...ONE...Spider-Man title. And Peter Parker is dead and Dr. Octopus is Spider-Man now. So that doesn't even really count. Marvel...what the fuck? You have one of comic's best characters. Why aren't there more Spider-Man books?
Rant finished. The Superior Spider-Man #9 has Doc Ock finally getting rid of Peter Parker in his head once and for all. That apparently means in twenty years Doc Ock will still be in Parker's body and still be Spider-Man. I doubt that...but it'd be very funny. I do enjoy Superior Spider-Man but this issue was just beating a dead horse. Parker "died" in, what? December? He "dies" again. Eh. I miss Parker, The Daily Bugle, etc. Some things you probably shouldn't change. As for Ultimate...#22 is the best issue yet. This is an alternate universe Spider-Man: Miles Morales, black teen. His mom is killed by Venom and it's heart-renching stuff. Go Bendis. Good art, too, by Sarah Pichelli.
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #9 **
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #22 ***1/2

JUPITER'S LEGACY #1

I've been looking forward to this book for awhile. Sad to say, it's average at best so far. I do love Frank Quitely's art and, damn, when was the last time he penciled a full issue? One of the early Batman & Robin books three or so years ago, right? It is nice to see him back. His art is great as usual but the colors aren't dynamic enough (it probably doesn't help that they got the same guy, Peter Doherty, to do the colors, design, and lettering). The story by Mark Millar at least has an intriguing premise: two famed U.S. superheroes have kids struggling to live/thrive/survive in their shadow. Why this book just isn't as spectacular as I had hoped is because Millar usually goes balls to the wall and over the top and he provides excitement. This book is closer to PG-13 than R...and rather dull. Hopefully it picks up. ** (out of ****)