TRINITY DAUGHTER OF WONDER WOMAN #1 DC COMICS
I have to point out that I was not a big fan of this new character in the Wonder Woman universe. Had she joined the all ages book series that DC is putting out, I would have been fine with that. But to work her into the All In main line seems gimmicky at best. So I had little hope for this new title. But storywise, turning it over to writer Tom King was smart. While not everyone’s favorite writer, he does have the ability to come up with some interesting concepts. I was truly shocked to turn to page one and find it with a classic 9 panel page filled with Pariahi in the midst of the Crisis! And we are then introduced to Wonder Robin and Super-Corgi Puppy (and if I’m not mistaken not only is Corgi a type of dog but was also a minuture car company that once put out a die cast Hot Wheels’ type version of the SuperMobile! I loved that toy!) And it appears that they live on Earth-3? As we see Power Ring and Ultraman trying to fight off the anti-nmatter wave. (Continuity buffs alert … Both villains did die together in mid-air, so they did their homework!) Then thrown in multiple aged versions of Trinity thanks to the use of a Time Bubble. Holy Moley! We are all over the park with this one. And the further we get into this first issue, the more crazy it becomes. Artist Bele’n Ortega does a magnificent job or representing the different ages of Trinity and reminds me of the 1960’s Wonder Woman comics featuring the Wonder Family and accidentally creating one of the most confussing characters in the whole DC line up, Wonder Girl. And a special shout out to colorist Alejandro Sanchez who manages to somehow brighten the glow of both the anti-matter wall and the Time Bubble. The best part is that although this is a full blown All In title, it is still appropriate for younger readers. 8 out of 10 Grahams.
NEW AVENGERS #1 MARVEL COMICS
Marvel has a long history of creating new super-teams by cramming random members of other super teams. But after the Avengers and the original Defenders, things started getting out of control. Take the original Champions. The creative team was told they could use two X-men, two Avengers, and one odd ball loner. But then came the glut of multiple team group titles of the 90’s and 2000’s. New Avengers, Dark Avengers, Thunderbolts, New Thunderbolts, etc. etc. And it seems like we are back where we started from. So this time, the creative team gets to use two Defenders, two (sort of) Avengers, a (sort of) X-man, and two random odd balls. Three of whom appear on the cover only so far. And their up against a Jackal and a group of bizarre clones of the Illuminati? This one is all over the place. At least Black Widow is back to shacking up with teammates, NOT! 5 out of 10 Grahams.
BATMAN #9 FACSIMILE EDITION DC COMICS
Is it time for another Wayback Wednesday? Apparently so, as DC shows off another entry in their facsimile editions. Sending us back to December 10, 1941. By now, DC had realized that the Dynamic Duo were in demand and spun them into their own title while still have them grace the pages of Detective Comics. But since this was his own series, he really didn’t have to share the spotlight with such heroes as the Crimson Avenger and Slam Bradley. So aside from the occasional 1/2 page comic strips with Silly Willy and Rollin Stone, we are getting 4 Batman stories for out hard earned dime. And while three of the four stories here are wonderful examples of what writer had to work with back in the early days before we had the giant Rogue’s Gallery to work with, we do get a return of the Joker story. And again, was the Joker run over by the train or escape? While we in the here and now know the answer, readers when this first came out didn’t know for sure. Ahhhh, the Golden Age of Comics. 8 out of 10 Grahams.
BACK ISSUE MAGAZINE #159 TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
Has it really been 40 years since Crisis appeared in our LCS? I remember all the hype leading up to it. All the one page cameos in various titles as the Monitor searched the DC universe for heroes to join his cause. I remember the promises of death and destruction that would solve all of DC’s multiverse continuity issues. And I remember issue #1 and how disappointed I was. It seemed to have a slow beginning and the vast line up of characters I had been promised was sorely lacking. Oh sure, I got to see the Crime Syndacate of Earth 3 wiped away in the brilliant sketchy outlines of George Perez. But the initial grouping including Blue Beetle, Firebrand, and Doctor Polaris didn’t knock my boots off. But then issue #2 showed up with a full three pages of Anthro who had appeared in Showcase #74 and the graduated to a six issue title in 1968 and I was all in! I was suddenly reading a full blown version of Showcase #100. By the end of the series, I was torn between the amazing things that had been put on the pages by the creative team of Marv Wolfman and George Perez and the fact that some of the hyp had simply been that … hype. While Barry Allen’s Flash and Supergirl were the big deaths, the other deaths were done in one or two panels or worse in flashbacks. The Golden Age Green Arrow, Immortal Man, the Adventure Comics version of Starman hardly raised an eyebrow. And certain deaths had been strategically enginered to create new title. Dove was killed so that Hawk could be repurposed with a new partner and new powers. Wonder Woman was ‘un-made’ so she could be recreated by Perez in a new #1 issue. Heck, even Barry Allen was killed so that Wally West could pick up the mantle of the Flash. Unfortunately, instead of getting rid of continuity problems, it only created new ones. And comic fans were quick to point them out only a few months after issue #12. And the articles in here not only address some of it but spotlights some of the most iconic scenes ever put to page. From the fearful looks on the faces of Johnny Quick and OwlMan as they watch their reality fade away to the desperation and utter disbelief of the Golden Age Superman and Flash along with Kid Flash and modern Superman looking at the void that was once the Earth 2 universe. A wonderful look back at an event that I still find hard to believe is 40 years old. 10 out of 10 Grahams.
