Much as I hate to repeat myself (putting on my old fogey hat), let me once again say: what the heck happened to Annuals?When they first started appearing in the '60s (when dinosaurs walked the Earth) they were something special - big stories with epic conflicts, bonus features, pin-ups, comedy features - you get the idea. They were a summer event, something to look forward to.
Now, the Annuals are just another issue of the regular series - usually longer, certainly more expensive, but otherwise in no way special.
Case in point: the first Earth 2 Annual. The only selling point here is the appearance of a (maybe) new Earth 2 Batman.
OK, I admit, that may end up being special, depending on how the character's story pays off. That alternate reality has been without a Dark Knight since the Earth 2 version was killed in the first issue of the "New 52" series.
But it's just a teaser - the issue actually centers on the Atom and his mission to bring in a low-level bad guy.
Even worse, it's not a complete story - it ends on something of a cliffhanger that continues into the regular series.
So instead of something groundbreaking or exceptional, we get just another issue with lots of teasing but not resolutions.
And not even a single pin-up. I'm not impressed.
Grade: C+
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2 comments:
I'm 100% with you on annuals. They should be more or less a one-shot with maybe mild implications in the regular series, but by no means a cliffhanger. How sad that DC's are basically a crossover trap!
As Doom would say, "BAH!"
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