This Week's Comics - 52, Checkmate, Fables, GLC

[sdelmonte]

Before we start, in case you are wondering, no, I am not buying Civil War. I'm not hearing enough good things about it to spend the money. But yes, I heard the big news (which I won't spoil here). And I do have opinions (serious and otherwise) from afar about it, so if anyone wants to discuss, feel free to do so in the comments.

But that's not what we're hear to talk about. We're here to talk about

52 Week Six and Checkmate 3 get a joint entry, as both involve DC heroes getting involved in geopolitics in China. And doing so in a way that convinces me DC heroes and geopolitics don't mix.

In 52, the bulk of the issue shows Hal Jordan and John Stewart confronting a new team of Chinese metahumans, who tell the GLs that Chinese airspace is off limits. An interesting idea, but one that is handled badly, and one that gets worse when Black Adam arrives. It's surprisingly dull, and unfortunately promises that much of 52 will deal with a new movement to keep American heroes away from the rest of the world. Given that the American heroes just saved the world, this is very odd (though not unrealistic).

Worse still, the Chinese metas all have names and costumes that are out of a bad Hidden Tiger ripoff. I really can't see the modern day Chinese government falling back on either garish costumes or ancient legends for all of its first super-heroes. (It would seem more likely that they would all have connected codenames and Red Army uniforms, much as the Rocket Red Brigade does.) Grant Morrison, IMHO, did a bad job creating these characters, and he and Greg Rucka and Geoff Johns all did a bad job with this part of the comic. (OK, Waid probably had a hand, too, but Johns is the writer for GL now and Rucka is the one who writes the geopolitics usually.)

Oh, there is some good stuff involving Booster. But otherwise, no Ralph, no Renee, no Steel, no Question, and no follow-up on the ailing space heroes. This is the first bad issue of 52.

Meanwhile (or One Year Later), Checkmate features lote of muddled and cluttered infighting, a mission to China that is even duller than Hal's trip, and a very lost-seeming Alan Scott and Mr. Terrific. I wanted to like this book. Sadly, it's a mess.

And why on earth is there a guest artist after two months?

Enough negativity. Let's talk Fables 50. It's the return to action of Bigby, his big secret mission, and his return home to a certain woman. And it's really good. Yet again, Fables asserts its position as the best comic out there. Oh, and there is also a great bit where Bigby talks about Israel (as part of the story). In a positive light. How often do we see that? All is well with this comic. There is also a preview of the Jack of Fable spinoff, which looks promising.

Lastly, we have Green Lantern Corps 1, starring Guy Gardner, Killowog, and the new GLs created in the Recharge miniseries. There is nothing groundbreaking here. Nothing startling. And nothing wrong with it, either. It's a solid, competent comic that looks like it will stand apart from the bigger DCU, have lots of space action, and be fun. But I don't know if that's enough to keep me reading. Then again, it's a lot better than Checkmate has been, and I am still a Guy fan.

Comments

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Fables was wonderful, I am most likely giving up on Checkmate, 52 was middling, and you must must must pick up Civil War.

That is all.

[jadasc.livejournal.com]

So, here, in the comments: what about that Mr. Parker and his revelation?

[sdelmonte]

I say this as a cynic about Big Event comics (even the ones I like): this is a huge change to a major character than can (if done right) open up so many possibilities for the writers. Will the NYPD remember all those old warrants for his arrest? Will JJJ issue a public apology for employing a vigilante? What happens when JJJ and Peter see each other again? For that matter, what happens when Peter next sees Robbie, or Betty Brant, or Flash Thompson? (There's a reaction shot I want to see!) Does MJ's career take off as Spidey's wife (assuming she isn't killed by a vengeful villain)? Is Aunt May interveiwed incessantly? Does he do marketing deals?

There are a lot of things that JMS and PAD can do now that no writer ever could, and this breathes new life into a character that, while still vital, has needed a shot in the arm for a while.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

I would assume that the federal government would vacate all those old NYPD warrants.

[mneme]

Quite agreed that Fables was wonderful. Bigby goodness, quite a number of Checkov's guns firing off (Ghost!), the Israel ref, and a happy middle.

I'll note, quite interestingly, that a certain important person in Bigby's life did not show up to the event at the end of the book. This would seem to confirm my theory that the two cannot show up in the same place at the same time, which is...interesting.

Well, either that or they're very bad blood somewhere in there. :) "Don't they know a -real- monster when they see one?"

[nightstalker.livejournal.com]

While I'm not nearly as well read in comics as you are, I can't recall a single negative reference to Israel in any mainstream comics. What few references I can recall were uniformly positive.

[sdelmonte]

I think you might be right, in terms of comic books. Indeed, even in terms of most pop culture. But certianly it FEELS like any time we here Israel mentioned in the entertainment of mass media, it's never to Israel's advantage.

I guess even I am a bit sensitive about such things.