Posts Tagged ‘ Hawk and Dove ’

It’s only fair that, as I’m picking up all the DCnU books this month that I try to post some quick thoughts on them…

Action Comics #1 – I’ll be honest I have pretty strong feelings about Grant Morrison’s writing and they’re not all positive. While I think as an ideas man and plotter he’s top-notch I have real issues (ho-ho) with his execution a lot of the time. Much of his books seem to have little leaps in narrative that require you to go back and re-read to tell what exactly is going on. While many like that, I don’t – especially not in the middle of the book. Here, Clark’s insistence that Jimmy and Lois not board the train required a few leaps in logic, as do Lex’s apparent engineering of the whole thing to capture Superman at the appointed time. What little we see of Lois and Jimmy isn’t very encouraging either, character-wise. I’ll read it again, but Morrison is up to his old tricks here. On the art side, Rags Morales can’t seem to get a handle on the appearance of young-ish Clark – sometimes he looks like an adult, sometimes he looks like a teen. Overall, a slight disappointment – but I suspect many will love it.

Animal Man #1 – Very good. Yes, a little too much set up before we get to Buddy donning his new (horrible) costume, but all very good stuff. Clearly Buddy’s marriage is in trouble but he’s got blinkers on, but the main conflicts seem to be from the threat to the Red and perhaps his daughter herself. Lots of story to sink your teeth into, and Lemire and Foreman make for a strong team. Suitably creepy and foreboding – should be a fun ride.

Batgirl #1 – The winner of the week for me. Gail Simone and Adrian Syaf fired on all cylinders. We get a younger Barbara, clarification that yes, Killing Joke happened, yes she was Batgirl before, and yes, she was paralyzed for three years before being miraculously healed – but it all fades into the background as she sets about re-establishing herself as a hero. A great start to the series and one I’ll definitely be sticking around for.

Batwing #1 – Surprisingly enjoyable, if let down a little by the fact that the impact of the surprising last page (which was spoiled on the internet a while ago) is watered down by it being a flashback. Still, David Zavimbi is nicely established, even if I still don’t know why he’s chosen to go into business as a superhero, and villain Massacre is suitably irredeemable. Winick and Oliver work well together, and while Winick’s script is workmanlike, Oliver’s art is pretty damn good. A pleasant surprise for me.

Detective Comics #1 – I know people slam Tony Daniel’s writing but I really enjoyed this issue, and the last page is more than a bit of a shocker. His art is strong, his Batman is smart, and his fight choreography clear. Absolutely no complaints here – and I enjoyed this a lot more than Action. Did I mention that last page? Wow.

Green Arrow #1 – Exactly what I thought it would be; lightweight and breezy. Jurgens’ art always evokes strong memories of DC past for me (in a good way) and Krul proves he’s better at solo books than team books. Having Ollie with a back-up network of support staff and engaged in some boardroom stuff on the side is a big departure for the character but it works here. This isn’t going to win any awards but it’s good, fun superheroing. The only downside is that I still miss grouchy sourpuss Ollie.

Hawk And Dove #1 – Okay. This is not a good comic on any level. At all. I get the impression that Sterling Gates is trying to weave a coherent story together from Liefeld’s art and having a damn difficult time of it. Look, I’m a cheerful Liefeld apologist most of the time but this is a painful, painful book to look at. Messy dis-proportioned art, bare-bones backgrounds and difficult;t to follow at times. Adding an additional layer to Dawn’s backstory seems a bit pointless, too, and just there to increase the conflict between the two leads. Just…bad. So I’ll probably pick up the next issue.

Justice League International #1 – A good start for the book, and a decidedly different tone from the main Justice League book and the best known bwah-ha-ha incarnation of this one. Jurgens knows his superheroes, and Aaron Lopresti can deliver solid if uninspired art. There’s a nice mix of characters (and I really hope some of the ones that didn’t make the cut show up soon) and some good conflicts, but Jurgens’ heavy-handed swipe at fans complaining about the DC reboot is, well, heavy-handed. Godiva got to say both ‘mate’ and ‘sod off’, though, so I’m good.

Men Of War #1 – Not really my cup of tea, if I’m honest, but the lead story has enough of a pull for me to come back for the next issue. Having Rock and company being men on the ground in a superhero battle where we don’t see the combatants is a pretty neat narrative trick, but I don’t feel there’s enough characterization of Rock just yet. Wasn’t fond of the back-up, which read like a generic strip from a UK war comic when I was growing up.

O.M.A.C. #1 – Okay. I’m very, very surprised how much I liked this. It’s almost entirely down to Keith Giffen’s art, which has adapted into a near-Kirby style that suits the book down to the ground, and the colors here really, really pop. I also like starting off with our hero off-screen for most of the book (all Hulk, no Banner) and just jumping in as shit goes down. I’m in.

Static Shock #1 – Scott McDaniel’s work here is as solid as ever, and John Rozum’s story is pretty straightforward. There’s nothing revolutionary going on, but this is very much a fun book. Having Static working at S.T.A.R. Labs for Hardware provides a nice basis for superheroing, and having Virgil at college seems like it’s going to be fun as we see more of it. Good, strong start.

Stormwatch #1 – I’m torn on this. It felt like a very quick read with not much going on, if I’m honest, but in retrospect quite a lot actually happened. Part of the team tries to recruit Apollo, shit happens. Another team member heads to the moon, we get filled in on a bit of history (apparently tying Stormwatch to Cornell’s other book, Demon Knights, not to mention old Milestone property Shadow Cabinet), and shit happens. Another part of the team investigate a big horn that Superman may or may not be blowing in a few weeks time, and shit happens. Oh, and the moon appears to be growing a claw or something. So yes, lots of shit happening and a lot of characters being introduced including an immortal named Adam, Jenny Quantum, J’onn J’onnz – who is a former JL’er – and more. Huh. I liked this quite a bit more than I thought I did the more I think about it.

Swamp Thing #1 – A very good read. Swamp Thing is very much centered in the midst of the DCnU here, with writer Snyder providing us a first proper look at the modern-day Superman providing Alec Holland with a pep-talk, and cameos from Batman and Aquaman. We also get a nice backstory and entry point into the character for new readers, which is important, and an extremely nasty threat (people having their heads twisted around and shambling on works much better in comics than, say, Torchwood). Great work from Snyder, and Paquette’s art supports the more horrific elements of the story. I’ll be back.

So there you have it; only one real stinker (Hawk and Dove), some real winners (Animal Man, Batgirl, Detective and Swamp Thing), a lot of ones that show promise (Batwing, Stormwatch, Static Shock, O.M.A.C., JLI, Green Arrow), one that’s okay but not my thing (Men of War) and Action which everyone but me probably loved.

All in all, the new DC looks pretty promising so far. I’m not saying it’ll stay this way but I’m generally impressed, being one week in.

You know when a band reforms after a few years ‘pursuing solo projects’, then it turns out that maybe they split up because they had nothing new to offer and we might have been better off with them not getting back together?

That’s kind of how I feel about Gail Simone’s return to Birds of Prey. It’s not bad, exactly, but there doesn’t feel like there’s anything new here. Oracle reassembles Huntress, Black Canary and Lady Blackhawk when she starts receiving blackmail material on all of them and adds Dove and the newly-resurrected Hawk to the team too. While they’re protecting the Penguin the group run afoul of a new antagonist, White Canary, with ties to one team member’s past. Meanwhile Oracle must deal with the return of two of Simone’s earlier creations, Creote and Savant.

Oh, and Lady Shiva shows up too.

There’s a lot going on in the six issues collected here – too much. Hawk and Dove’s presence feels like an edict from above given their exposure in Blackest Night and Brightest Day, but their presence doesn’t really add anything in this arc and they don’t get much to do – well, aside for Dove providing the Penguin somebody else to lust over (and don’t get me started on his dream sequence).

Simone also falls back on the old narrative box trick, with each issue largely narrated by one character – usually Black Canary – but it doesn’t quite work. It’s not bad on the scale of James Robinson’s Justice League of America narration, but it’s distracting and interrupts the flow of the story somewhat.

The book also suffers from choppy pacing as the action switches between wherever the on-the-ground team is and wherever Oracle happens to be. Once the team splits up and we get three separate story threads, it feels even more disjointed. Plot-wise there’s a little bit of a disconnect too; while we get a good feel for the White Canary (even if I can’t really remember the events that lead to her grudge), throwing the Penguin into the mix is superfluous at best. While Savant’s motivation in the plot is clear, the fact that he is instrumental in exposing Black Canary’s civilian ID and life is pretty much ignored once the details are out in the open – although I suppose that may be followed up on later in the run.

And then there’s, Black Canary. Traditionally one of DC’s strongest characters (outside of some really bad decisions when it comes to Green Arrow), Dinah is presented here as someone almost in awe of the newly introduced White Canary’s Machiavellian ways. Yes, her identity is exposed, and yes, her once-almost-adopted-daughter Sin is imperiled, but it feels like Dinah just caves to the White Canary’s demands without even thinking about other options. It doesn’t feel like her.

You may notice I mentioned this being Simone’s return to the book, and not artist Ed Benes. That’s because he manages to turn in only one complete issue here, sharing the art duties on three more with Adriana Melo before moving on completely. Melo then shares the art with Alvin Lee for the final two issues of the volume. While the three have similar enough art styles for this not to be too jarring, the inconsistencies are still apparent and it’s frustrating for the reader.

Just in case it feels I’ve been overly harsh here, let me add that I do enjoy Huntress and Lady Blackhawk. Huntress especially has a few good scenes in the final issue of the book, while Zinda continues to be a joy in every scene.

I don’t know; maybe I just enjoyed Simone’s original run on the book so much that I expected to love this wholeheartedly, especially given her recent excellent work on the much stronger Secret Six – but this just felt like a ‘miss’ to me. I’ll pick up the next trade just to see how her run finishes – and I’m still looking forward to her new controversial Batgirl book – but I honestly don’t think I can recommend this to anyone but diehard fans of BoP.

Probably shouldn’t have called this series of posts ‘recommended reading’, eh?

Blackest Night was so much better than it could have been once it was made into a line-wide crossover instead of a Green Lantern contained story.

April Fool!

Just kidding! By becoming a line-wide crossover, Blackest Night lost its focus and became less about character development and more about a(nother) threat to all reality and how to get some characters back that were dead but somebody decided should be used again.

Also, this may be nicely illustrated but it doesn’t half feel like an excuse to sell more action figures:

What irks me more than the fact that this ‘event’ fell short of its precursor Sinestro War in almost every way is the fact that the return to life of characters seems completely arbitrary. The fact that nobody explains why these specific characters are back (although it’s hinted that it will be touched on later) while others aren’t – especially ones like Ralph and Sue Dibny – adds to the feeling that most of the resurrections were simply editorially mandated or characters that Geoff Johns had plans for. It’s annoying.

Anyway, jut who came back, and which one of them just might be a White Lantern when all’s said and done? The issue is new enough that I’m putting it behind the cut…

Good news – no root canal today!

Bad news – root canal Monday.

Good news – four-and-a-half-day weekend starts this afternoon!

Bad news – four-and-a-half-day weekend ends Sunday night.

Good news – due date for the arrival of first baby is only a week away!

Bad news – it’s going to be a loooong week…maybe.

Good news – following birth of said baby, I’ll be pretty much absent from work for much of the rest of the month.

Bad news – MUCH of the rest of the month.

In the meantime, I’m trying to cram as much as work into the few hours I have here so that I’m in a decent enough position not to be concerned about work if previously mentioned baby decides to put in an early appearance.

Unfortunately this means that blogging time is limited, although I do seem to be making time to post stuff over on Tumblr, if only because it’s quick and usually doesn’t require pithy comments.

So, uh, a cover from a series that I may be the only person to like:

Talk amongst yourselves.

It’s been a damn brutal week in comics – and I mean really brutal.

Take Blackest Night: Titans #3.

Say what you will about Ed Benes art (such as ‘cheesecake’ and ‘posed’) but the man can draw some pretty powerful stuff when he puts his mind to it. I’m not talking about ‘punching the heart out of your dead ex-husband’ powerful…

No, I’m talking about crushing your zombiefied son to death.

Benes wisely concentrated not on gore, but instead on Donna’s reactions to the act. It’s pretty horrifying, and certainly the most emotionally compelling moment we’ve had in Blackest Night so far.

Of all the books to step above being a simple ‘zombie-attack’ style tie-in, I admit that Titans was the least expected, but it’s by far been the best of the BN mini-series.

And Donna seems to be coming out – finally – as a character worth watching. After Dove saves the day by having her peace sever the connection between the dead and the black rings (and after a visit from Don Hall, it seems that scene earlier has a lot of resonance), Donna is determined to take her to the front lines of the battle with her not only to save the day, but to take care of her if her infection spreads.

The issue closes with the revelation that Donna can already see people’s emotional spectrum – a sign that the Black Lantern Zombie Vision is already spreading; but it’s the moment where she kills her dead child that stays with you.

Brutal.

Ok, so in this week’s Blackest Night #2, something that will undoubtedly become some kind of key plot point is that the Black Lantern rings were unable to revive and co-opt Don Hall, the original Dove – because he was apparently resting in peace.

Apparently, Don had no such qualms when Brother Blood raised him from the dead, but…

…I can live with that; maybe the Black Rings ‘ask’ a little – but what about his brother Hank Hall, better known as Hawk?

Apparently, he’s not resting in peace…

But here’s where I get confused. Following Don’s death in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Hank got a new Dove as a partner – Dawn Granger.

This was all well and good until Armageddon 2001, where the time-traveling despot from the future, Monarch, turned out to be Hank Hall himself.*

Later, Monarch kidnapped Hawk and Dove and killed Dove**, specifically so he could incite Hawk to kill him and become Monarch himself. What a plan.

So at this point, Hawk has become Monarch. Monarch then skipped around the timestream for a while, battling Captain Atom for a bit*** before eventually resurfacing in Zero Hour as Extant, having duplicated Waverider’s powers to add to his own. He killed a couple of JSA members, including the Atom…

…and years later showed up in JSA. Eventually, Atom Smasher managed to swap his mother (who had died in a plane crash) with Extant, saving his mother, avenging his father and finally killing Extant.

So: is the Hank Hall rising from the dead in Blackest Night the remains of the Hank Hall who became Monarch who became Extant who died on that plane? If so, does he still have Extant’s powers? Or just Hawk’s?

I’m confused!

*Yes, he was originally intended to be Captain Atom but lets not get into it now…

**Dove wasn’t dead; that was an illusion and she was secreted away by Mordru to carry Hank’s child who would eventually be aged to become the reincarnation of Hector Hall, Dr Fate. Or something like that.

***Even more confusing; along the way, Monarch ran into Nathaniel Adam in the timestream who, it turns out, never became Captain Atom at all, and the CA we know was just basically a copy made from the alien metal. Adam helped Monarch out, and in return he gave him his armor to get out of the timestream. Adam then became a second, heroic Monarch for a while- not to be confused with the third Monarch, who was apparently Captain Atom once again in Countdown. Maybe. Brain…exploding…

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