ACTION COMICS #1092 DC COMICS
Action Comics has been entertaining readers since 1938. That’s almost 88 years and like anything that has been around that long, there have been ups and downs, changes and updates depending on the era. So, a page 7 mention of ‘that Braverman Boy’ sent shivers down my spine. (Not a big fan of that storyline!) Luckily, writer Mark Waid skims over that one brief mention and then gets back to making Superboy and the residents of Metropolis real people. I especially like that one of the key points here is that Superboy still learning about his powers is beloved by Smallville but when he ventures into Metropolis, rage against him. This is the perfect example of quiet well mannered country folks versus judgemental crowd mentality city folks. Artist Cian Tormey does justice to both city and country settings. Only real petty thing about this issue is that by the end of the issue, General Lane actually backs down and seems likable. That’s not the General Lane I know. That guy is a 24 hour jerk! For a revisiting of the Superboy days, this is a (sort-off) rebooting I can deal with. 8 out of 10 Grahams.
KING DRACULA #1 ZENESCOPE PUBLISHING
Sometimes Zenescope surprizes me with one of their titles. This is one of those titles. First off, I honestly had no idea that this fell under the Zenescope banner. So I was already intrigued by just the storyline blurb in the listing. Dracula has returned and is ready to come out of hiding to smite his enemies. The fact that his enemies are rival vampire lords just levels the playing field. We’ve got blood drinking, Dracula cultists with strange rituals, hypnotic entrallment, and multiple fangs to the neck. What more could you ask for in a Dracula book? Hoping that Zenescope can keep this story from merging too much with their expanded universe. 8 out of 10 Grahams.
DC FINEST: WAR THE BIG FIVE ARRIVE TPB DC COMICS
An arguement can be made that Dell Comics put out the very first war genre comics with their November 1941 issue of (ironicly) War Comics. But no one can deny that DC Comics pushed the genre forward at breakneck speed. The Big Five mentioned in the title are DC’s long running war titles of Our Army At War, G.I. Combat, Star Spangled War Stories, Our Fighting Forces, and All-American Men of War. All of these titles, as well as a few others, get a wonderful sampling here. And while not a popular niche these days, for over forty years (stretching into the late 1980’s!) these tales from the Front entertained, made the reader think and feel. The amazing talents that wrote, drew, and colored these tales would become legends. With names like Kanigher, Haney, and Kubert, these creators would bring us characters like Sgt. Rock, Jeb Stuart and his Haunted Tank, and the Unknown Soljier. But is their ability to create story after story featuring just everyday Soljiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines month after month that is truly impressive. One of the best tales here is the story of PVT. Jack Hanlon and the dog he finds behind enemy lines! A terrific collection even if they cheated a bit and threw in some Blackhawk stories that DC inherited when the took over Quality Comics publishing. 10 out of 10 Grahams.
