The Twelve #12 (of 12)

With this issue we finally reach the end of this maxi-series, and it's a (mostly) satisfactory wrap-up to this story about 12 heroes who were put into suspended animation during World War II and reawakened in the present.

Last issue was actually the climax of the story, as the surviving members of the team confronted the one behind several mysterious murders.

This issue is dedicated to wrapping up all the loose ends, providing one final origin story and putting an ending to things.

It's mostly successful with this, although any issue like this is always something of a letdown - it's just the nature of such things.

Looking back at the overall series, though, I have to say that I enjoyed The Twelve a lot - it wove some interesting stories around some Golden Age characters I wasn't familiar with, gave them added dimension and new purpose.

Fans of a few of the characters might not feel the same, since some of the characters didn't fare well here - but overall, I though it was well done.

Kudos to writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Chris Weston for their outstanding work - a bit of a wait for those of us buying the individual issues, but it should be an even more solid package in collected form.

Recommended!

Grade: A-

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The Twelve #11 (of 12)

As The Twelve draws near the end, the team is forced into a deadly fight with a powerful, pitiless enemy.

And the team is at a real disadvantage, because most of the members are normal humans, or only have a very specific (and limited) power.

To its credit, this issue feels like a throwback to the issue of Alan Moore's Marvelman / Miracleman, where the hero is suddenly forced to fight a frightening and powerful opponent.

It's a difficult issue to talk about without giving away key plot points, but it brings to a conclusion some of the storylines have been running through the series - although I suspect there are a few more surprises waiting in the final issue.

It's tempting to be dismissive of this issue, if just because it's been so long in arriving - but it's a sharply written comic (as you'd expect from J. Michael Straczynski) and the artwork by Chris Weston is wonderful - hard-hitting, realistic and telling a powerful story.

I hate to see this series ending, but I have to admit that I can't wait to see how it all wraps up. I know, I confuse myself sometimes.

Grade: A-

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The Twelve #10 (of 12)

Gad, another issue of The Twelve already? More than three years between issues 8 and 9, and now a new one in less than a month!

Not that I'm complaining - especially since this issue brings together all the (surviving) members of the team for what may be the first time since the first issue, though it's hard to remember that far back. (OK, I'll drop the "overdue" comments.)

They're gathered together in the classic "get all the suspects together in one room" bit, so the Phantom Reporter can solve a murder mystery.

What's that, you say - you didn't know there was a murder mystery involved? None of us did, especially since we saw the robot Electro commit the crime.

But the question to be answered is, who was controlling the robot?

The answer - and the revelations that follow - are pretty shocking. Writer J. Michael Straczynski has done a great job of fleshing out these two-dimensional characters from the Golden Age of comics, and the story just keeps getting more interesting as it draws closer to its conclusion.

Matching the great writing is the fantastic art by Chris Weston. His work is confident and clear - his style is unique, but it's realistic, falling somewhere between Neal Adams and George Perez. Each character is distinctive, the emotions are clearly depicted, the action scenes are fantastic, and the backgrounds are lush - amazing work!

Of course, fans of these characters may not appreciate how they've been updated and their true origins revealed, especially since most of the heroes have been shown to have feet of clay.

It doesn't bother me, since I'd never read any of their adventures before (the Golden Age being before my time). If you're one of those fans, you should probably avoid this book - but for the rest of us, this is one of Marvel's best limited series in far too long.

Highly recommended!

Grade: A-

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The Twelve #9 (of 12)

It's always funny - and a bit sad - when a creative team so completely jumps the tracks that we must wait years between issues (we forgive you, Camelot 3000).

The last regular issue of The Twelve was published in October of... anyone want to guess the year?

Go ahead.

OK, ready?

The correct answer is... 2008. So almost three-and-a-half years later, we're finally getting to the final four issues in this series.

If you want a good laugh, here's my prophetic statement from the end of my review of The Twelve #8:

"The real shame is that we only have four more issues to enjoy - it'll be over far too soon."

Ha! Can I call 'em or what?

Luckily, this has been a series that's worth a bit of a wait. It focuses on a dozen heroes who fought in World War II, were captured and put in suspended animation, to be revived in the modern day world.

Each one has a unique story and faces heart-wrenching challenges. With great writing by J. Michael Straczynski and fantastic art by Chris Weston, fans have been hanging on to see what happens next.

The answer is: death, mystery and grim revelations. The focus is on The Blue Blade and the robot Electro, but lots of stories are bubbling nicely here.

Amazingly, the story all came back to me without having to re-read the series - which is a good sign about how entertaining it is.

I'm so glad to see this series back again, I can forgive the long delay. Almost.

Grade: A-

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The Twelve: Spearhead #1 (One-shot)

Hey, it's The Twelve!

Sadly, this isn't the next issue in the long-delayed 12-issue maxi-series. Happily, it's a prequel that takes us back to the days before the team was captured by the Nazis and put into suspended animation.

Written and drawn by Chris Weston (who provided the art on the regular series), it's a warts-and-all look at the efforts by the Allied super-heroes to bring an end to World War II.

Rather than glamorizing the war, here we see a more ground-level approach and the grisly effort that was required of real men as well as the ones who wore masks.

The issue is packed with guest stars, but Weston manages to give us a brief look at the members of the Twelve, with a focus on The Phantom Reporter.

The story rolls along at top speed, and manages to capture the horrors - and horrific acts - that are an inescapable part of war.

The art is outstanding as always. Weston has a great real-world approach to his art, with creative layouts and lots of energy and personality on display. He turns in outstanding work here.

So this issue does a great job of shedding some light on the team's history, and setting the stage for the upcoming publication of that long-awaited issue #9.

About which I can only say: it's about time!

Grade: A-

The Twelve #8 (of 12)

It's always amazing to watch a creative team take a time-worn idea and make it work. That's exactly what writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Chris Weston have managed to do with The Twelve.

The story focuses on 11 heroes who were placed in suspended animation when they were captured by the Nazis during World War II. The 12th member of the team is the robot Electro - it was essentially turned off and left with the others.

Is there a World War II hero other than Namor who wasn't put in suspended animation and revived in "modern" times? Yes, I'm exaggerating - but you have to admit it's a long list. Heck, even the Red Skull used that excuse!

Anyway, the 12 heroes are revived when their tomb is uncovered in 2008 - and now they try to adjust to a world that is very different from the one they knew.

The team is made up of B-list characters who were featured in Timely Comics (today the company is known as Marvel Comics, natch), so you have an interesting mix of masked vigilantes with no powers and a few incredibly powerful figures.

Straczynski has done a masterful job of bringing us up to speed on the lives of these characters, and the terrible ramifications of losing 60 years of your life. Despite the large cast, he's maintained a good balance between super-heroics and the human story of these people.

Weston is a vastly underrated talent, and he's doing incredible work here, and putting a stunning amount of realistic detail into his work. The book is worth buying just for the art!

Having said all that, I have to admit that this issue is one of the weakest in the run, although it's still superior to most comics on the stands - it just suffers by comparison to the other issues in the run. This issue focuses on the one female in the group - The Black Widow (no relation to the modern-day Marvel super-spy).

As past issues have shown, she hunts down evildoers at the behest of some kind of demonic power - but her origin ends up being just the standard deal with a devil - I was hoping for more.

Still, this has been an excellent series and seems to be building up to a big finish. The real shame is that we only have four more issues to enjoy - it'll be over far too soon.

Grade: A-