Guest Review: Rose and the Thorn #1

Our man Glen Davis is back with another guest review - this time looking to one of the newest additions to DC's ever-expanding "New 52."

Being a fan of Showcase and First Issue Special, I was enthusiastic about the advent of National Comics, where DC introduces us to an updated character with a one-shot comic, which also provides the seeds for a whole new series if the concept catches on with an audience.

Unfortunately, with Rose and the Thorn, the execution is lacking. I don't believe that any of the three characters introduced so far are going to go anywhere, despite having some name talent working on them.

Rose and Thorn is a character with origins in the Golden Age. Then a villainess for the Jay Garrick version of The Flash, she was thought cured and married Green Lantern Alan Scott, and they had two children that would later become Infinity Inc. members, Jade and Obsidian.

Later, created in the 1970s, Rhosyn "Rose" Forrest was a split personality vigilante, who fought in her Thorn persona while the Rose personality was asleep.

And now DC goes to the well again.

The book opens promisingly enough, with a little bit of mystery and pathos, but all too soon becomes cliche-ridden to the point of distraction.

Both Rose and Thorn are basically checklists of "nice" and "naughty" attributes. Indeed, only one character, Rose's best friend, is not a complete stereotypical caricature, and even in that case, it's a close thing.

Can't recommend this at all. It's a lot cheaper just to watch the 1990s Aerosmith videos with Alicia Silverstone.

Grade: D

Talon #0

Spinning out of the incredibly popular Batman "Court of the Owls" story is Talon.

It focuses on the one that got away. The Talons are a small army of enforcers / fighters / killers who are brainwashed and manipulated into becoming servants of the Owls.

But not the star of this issue. Calvin Rose is a boy who escapes a difficult childhood and makes a life-long habit out of escaping from difficult situations. He's recruited to join the Talons, but it's not a great fit.

The problem is, it's not an easy assignment to walk away from.

It's a sharp first issue, with an interesting story structure (which hops around through the past and present) and a compelling character in the spotlight.

I like the art by Guillem March a lot - it has flashes of Kubert in there, along with strong layouts and good character designs.

The story by James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder gets the whole thing off to a flying start - though you can't help but wonder what will happen when this Talon runs into a certain Owl-hating Batman.

Should be fun!

So far, a strong start for this series.

Grade: A-

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Wolverine and the X-Men #17

After all the deadly serious goings-ons in the X-universe, this issue of Wolverine and the X-Men offers some blessed relief.

Artist Mike Allred, who has a fun style that evokes the Silver Age, tackles this issue with a real sense of joy and energy.

Writer Jason Aaron focuses on an odd creature who's part of the staff at the Jean Grey School for Gifted Children - the weird little green blob named Doop.

That character first appeared in the X-Statix comic (also drawn by Allred), and the issue goes to great comic lengths to explain why Wolverine was so anxious to have Doop on the staff.

It's a bit of a mystery to the other residents, since he seems to be a degenerate who spends most of his time sleeping, but as we see, he does have his (its?) strong points.

It's a fast and funny issue that might give continuity sticklers a stroke, but it's all in fun, and it offers a free-wheeling adventure that's well worth tackling.

Grade: A-

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Aquaman #0

It's sad to see the run of writer Geoff Johns and artist Ivan Reis (with Joe Prado inking) coming to an end soon - they've turned out some impressive work in their first year on the job, and made Aquaman one of the best of the "New 52" comics.

And finally, one of Johns' "Zero" comics sticks to the formula, here taking us back six years to a tragic moment in Arthur Curry's life - his father is dying, and he decides to discover the secrets behind his Atlantean origin.

But the ocean is a mighty big place.

This issue is really a chance for Reis to show off, as quite a few pages have no dialogue. Aquaman explores the ocean and discovers more about himself and his place in it all.

Not much else to say that wouldn't give away too much, but it's an excellent issue and a good starting point for anyone wanting to learn more about DC's premiere undersea hero.

Grade: A-

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New Comics Day!

Here's what I picked up at the comics shop today:

- Aquaman #0 - Back to the beginning.

- Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #3 (of 4) - Loads of guest stars.

- FF #22 - A little father-son chat.

- Flash #0 - A tragic beginning.

- Hawken #6 - Showdown with a monster.

- Invincible Iron Man #525 - Taking on the Mandarin.

- Journey Into Mystery #644 - Going to the dogs.

- Popeye #5 - Hey, it's a continuing series now.

- The Shadow Annual #1 - Against the dragon.

- Spider #5 - Gas attack!

- Talon #0 - Springing out of the Council of Owls story.

- Winter Soldier #11 - Teaming up with Hawkeye.

- Wolverine and the X-Men #17 - Special Doop issue with Mike Allred art - cool!

And that's it!

Classic Comics: Scorpio Rose #1

This comic marked, in many ways, a turning point for the comics industry. I was captivated by Scorpio Rose when this comic first appeared in 1983 - but it was a three-issue mini-series that never quite ended - in the normal sense.

After a long and distinguished run at Marvel, Steve Englehart jumped ship and went over to DC Comics, where he enjoyed a brief but excellent run on comics like Justice League of America and Detective Comics.

He also wrote a couple of issues of Madame Xanadu - but when his relationship with that company fell apart, he took his work and walked.

Over at the newly-formed Eclipse Comics, they offered Englehart a chance to create his own character, so he fashioned a thinly-disguised (but considerably more adult) version of Madame Xanadu.

Rose is a gypsy with a dark, mysterious past - and the story of her long life is brutal and frightening, as she faces the unstoppable demon who changed her life when she was young.

It's a tale of love, betrayal and magic, wonderfully illustrated by the incredible Marshall Rogers.

The two - Englehart and Rogers - crafted some amazing comics over the course of their work together, including Batman, Coyote and Mister Miracle.

And that's the frustrating thing about this "series" - one more issue was published (nine months after the first issue), but the third never appeared! I looked and looked for it, but never found it - because it was never printed.

Apparently Rogers was busy with other work and by the time he got around to working on it, Englehart decided it was better to leave the issue unpublished, rather than printing it years after the fact.

It finally saw the light of day in an unfinished form - in the back of a Coyote collection, Englehart included the rough artwork and story for that final issue.

It was a shame - a terrific character, a heck of a story - but the readers were left hanging. Heck, it still makes me mad. If you start something, you should finish it - better late than never.

Still, a great issue, and one-third of a great series.

Grade: A

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Dead Man's Run #3

As I've written in past reviews, I'm generally on board with this kind of "what happens after you die" story.

And I enjoyed the first two issues in Dead Man's Run, as they offered a look at the grim existence in hell.

A young man, Sam Tinker, who has a genius for maps, plots an escape and recruits a offbeat group of murderers to make a run at it.

Along the way they face monsters, demons and destruction - but the story seems to be unraveling because of the old problem with magic-based stories: since there are no rules, anything can happen - even if it doesn't make much sense.

So we have the Warden (who's fond of chains) trying an escape of her own for vague reasons, monsters that seem indestructible until they aren't, an innocent guy in prison who shows he's not all that innocent, and a complete lack of sympathetic characters (except for a sister who's never seen).

The art by Tony Parker is good, though liberally sprinkled with gore and grisly moments.

With a lack of sympathetic characters and a muddled story, this series seems to be fading fast.

Hopefully next issue can get this race back on track.

Grade: C+

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Sword of Sorcery #1

At the risk of losing my manly credit, I have to admit that I was a fan of the original Amethyst comics.

It was an interesting combination of children's story and sword and sorcery adventure, all illustrated by the terrific Ernie Colon.

DC has (somewhat surprisingly) revived the character in Sword of Sorcery, along with a backup feature starring a new version of Beowulf.

The opening story by Christy Marx doesn't give us a lot to work with - a mysterious teen whose only parent, her mother, keeps moving them around the country. A mystic land ruled over by a powerful, evil woman. A surprising journey to another world. And that's about it.

But it is a promising start!

The art by Aaron Lopresti is quite good - expressive, energetic with a classic, illustrative feel to it.

It's still way too early to judge this series, but it seems a fair attempt at modernizing the original series, and it's good enough to bring me back for the next issue.

Just don't tell the guys.

Grade: B+

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The Avengers #30

Getting back on track...

As the Avengers vs. X-Men series winds down, I have to admit I've lost the chronology of events therein.

For example, Spider-Woman and Hawkeye were both prisoners of the Phoenix Force - which has possessed a couple of X-Men - but with this issue, both are back on duty for the Avengers, covering "normal" Avengers business while the big guns take on the cosmic menaces.

It's all an excuse for a fun episode of "The Bickersons," as the two (who are dating) fight for their lives while arguing about their relationship.

It's a fun, fast-paced, done-in-one issue that includes some excellent art by the legendary Walter Simonson (with Scott Hanna inking) - it's just as free-wheeling and high-spirited as the script by Brian Bendis.

So a nice relief from the heavy-duty doings in the maxi-series, as it's all in good fun.

Grade: B+

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At Long Last...

Well, after four years of writing this blog, it finally happened.

I missed a day.

Things have been incredibly hectic in the real world for the last couple of weeks for your pal Chuck, and yesterday kept me away from the computer (and my comics) for the entire day - ergo, no review for the first day since I started in 2008.

Heck, I've been so busy that I missed the fourth anniversary of the blog, which started on Sept. 11, 2008!

At any rate, sorry for the lapse - I'll try to throw in an extra review this week to keep the Comic of the Day world in balance.

And the good news is, all that hectic stuff is now over (wrapped up a big community project last night), so we'll get started on another unbroken run today.

Thanks for bearing with me, Gentle Readers!

Spider-Men #5 (of 5)

With most mini-series, you can't really make a final judgment until the final issue.

So it turns out that Spider-Men is quite good.

The story manages to bring together the "real" Spider-Man (Peter Parker) and the Ultimate version (Miles Morales) in a story that gives them both stuff to do, some nifty action sequences and a surprisingly touching sequence where Peter sees a world where he's recognized as a hero - and his secret identity is known to the world.

And he actually makes a connection with Miles, who shares powers and a sharp sense of humor.

This issue brings the two (and the Ultimates) up against Mysterio, who uses a dimensional portal to jump back and forth between worlds.

The final sequence offers a funny exchange as Peter tries to share some wisdom with Miles. That's always one of the strengths of any book written by Brian Bendis - funny, crisp dialogue that breathes life into the characters.

The art is by Sara Pichelli, and it's excellent. Fresh and lively, with vivid scenes of destruction, great character designs and strong layouts, it's a good fit for a Spider-Man story.

I'm not crazy about the ending, which teases something that may never be discussed again - but if it's a setup for another crossover, it'll work.

If not, then it's just mean.

Still, outside of that, it's a good series and worth tracking down.

Grade: A-

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Justice League #0

I really think someone neglected to explain the idea behind the DC "Zero" issues to writer Geoff Johns.

For every other book, the event is being used to look back to the history of the title characters before the first issue (see this month's Wonder Woman for an excellent example).

But if that's the idea, this issue of Justice League has two strikes against it: first of all, there's no Justice League in it - it focuses on Captain Mar... excuse me, Shazam (snort). Second of all, it picks up the story of Billy Batson right where it left off a few issues back as a backup feature in JL.

I'll grant that it offers something of an origin for The Big Red Cheese, but if it's a flashback, it's a well concealed one.

All that aside, the art by Gary Franks is a real treat, with some neat designs for the Rock of Eternity (and its contents), and excellent character depictions. I have to say, though, that I don't care for the redesign of ... Shazam's ... costume. The long cape, the hood, the crazy belt - just doesn't feel right, but I admit to being "old school" on this topic.

So we get the basic origin, and a new and more realistic version of Billy Batson. Whether it's a better version remains to be seen.

Not a bad issue, but one that will not be a favorite for longtime fans of the original character.

Like me.

Grade: B-

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Comics Today

Here's what I picked up at the comics shop today:

- Avengers #30 - a lover's spat during a fight to the death.

- Before Watchmen: Nite Owl #3 - Sadly, Joe Kubert's last artwork.

- Daredevil #18 - Is Matt's life out of control?

- Justice League #0 - I'm not sure Geoff Johns understands the zero issue concept.

- Lobster Johnson: Caput Mortuum #1 (One Shot) - Pulpy fun.

- The Shadow #5 - And then some.

- Spider-Men #5 (of 5) - wrapping up the crossover.

- Sword of Sorcery #0 - Nice to see Amethyst back in action.

- Mighty Thor #20 - Whose side is Loki on?

- Wonder Woman #0 - Now that's a zero issue.

And I received a review pdf of Dead Man's Run #3.

And that's it!

Guest Review: The Saint #0

Man, the real world has been kicking your pal Chuck around the past couple of weeks - thank goodness Glen Davis was able to step up and provide some excellent Guest Reviews. (Classic reviews will return next week, honest!)

Here's Glenn's look at a classic, long-running character who's starring in a new comic for the first time in 60 years:

The Saint, Simon Templar, is a character that was actually created before the depression of the 1930s.

A Robin Hood-type character, he was a criminal who robbed and murdered gangsters the law couldn't touch. The character changed with the times, spending the 1930s in high adventure intrigue, during the World War II years he fought Nazis, in the 1960s he engaged in James Bond sorts of stories, and in the 1970s, he crusaded against the mafia like Mack Bolan.

This issue takes place in America during World War II. The Saint is driving through Texas when he happens upon a man burnt to death with gasoline.

This is a very short issue, serving to introduce the character and the series. I was disappointed the creators chose to adapt a story set during the war years, as I think the Saint is at his best when he is running circles around Scotland Yard, but I'll take what I can get.

The art is pretty good, with the Saint looking like a comfortable mixture of George Sanders and Roger Moore.

Moonstone is a company plagued by production problems, and are probably now better known for their prose collections than their comic books, but they do a good job here. I can't grade it any higher because it is just a short preview comic.

Grade: B

Guest Review: Thun'da #2

Here's Glen Davis with a guest review about the return of the man called Thun'da.

The jungle genre is making a comeback after a long period in hibernation - in comics, at least.

After experiencing success with Lord of the Jungle, Dynamite is trying again with Thun'Da, a jungle man from the 1950s, created by the legendary artist Frank Frazetta.

Despite being short-lived, the feature is well remembered and was the basis for one of the last serials, King of the Congo, starring Buster Crabbe.

Thun'Da is really Roger Drum, an American military pilot who crashes in a lost jungle and loses his memory. This isn't any ordinary jungle, though - it's populated with dinosaurs and cavemen.

In this issue, Thun'Da rescues a smilodon kitten from dinosaurs, and is captured and escapes from a tribe of cavemen. Not bad. Still, the action doesn't really serve to move the plot forward the way it should.

And there's a nifty backup tale, with the original feature written by Gardner Fox and drawn by Frazetta.

Grade: B+

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Guest Review: Flash Gordon Zeitgeist #6

Our man Glen Davis has been on fire lately - today he provides another guest review based on a comic that stars a classic comic strip hero:

Dynamite Comics has become a force in the industry in a fairly short amount of time, but there is one glaring weakness of the company. It seems that after acquiring a property, they lose interest after three or four issues in favor of whatever new property they've liscensed.

This Flash Gordon series seems to have fallen prey to this tendency, and Flash, a seminal comics property, deserves better.

This incarnation is set during World War II. It seems the destructive meteor showers that were destroying Earth were sent by Ming the Merciless to aid Hitler, a mere pawn of Ming. Flash, Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov all wind up on the planet Mongo. Ming decides to marry Dale, and Flash starts a revolution to topple Ming with Zarkov's aid. Meanwhile, some denizens of Mongo are in Germany to assasinate Hitler.

With this issue, Flash finally forges his coalition of rebels to invade Ming's city, while Ming is going through with his marriage. Ming's daughter is engaging in skullduggery, and the denizens on earth are resisting the Nazis. And Zarkov is doing... something.

The comic is okay, but decompression doesn't really suit the Flash Gordon story at all. The pages set on Earth slow the story down, and seem completely unnecessary. The muddy coloring doesn't really suit Flash Gordon either. It seems a little tired.

On the plus side, they are capturing some of the dangerous unpredictability that should be part of Zarkov that so many others have missed.

The earlier issues were more dynamic and interesting. I'm hoping the series goes somewhere.

Grade: B-

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Avengers Assemble #7

I have to admit, I don't understand the cover of this issue.

There's lots of cosmic hoo-hah type action going on here, and it does center around Thanos, one of Marvel's most deadly villains - but nowhere in this issue of Avengers Assemble does he hold (or do more than mention) the Infinity Gems.

The story so far is pretty simple - it all springs out of this summer's hit Avengers movie. The team (consisting of the members who were featured in the movie) have joined forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy (who will be starring in an upcoming Marvel movie) to track down Thanos (who had the briefest of cameos in said movie).

To slow down his pursuers, Thanos has unleashed an armada of the alien race known as the Badoon on our heroes, and there's lots of destruction (and improbable survival despite exposure to deep space) to go around.

We also see Thanos make unexpected use of the powerful cosmic object he has acquired - but what happens next may surprise even him.

I'm a big fan of artist Mark Bagley, and he turns in his usual outstanding work here - with great character depictions, lots of over-the-top action and easy-to-follow storytelling on display.

Next issue is the big wrap-up to this story, so we'll see if writer Brian Bendis can "stick the landing" (as they kept saying in the Olympics).

Here's hoping.

Grade: A-

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Wolverine and the X-Men #16

This issue manages to avoid complications with the whole Avengers vs. X-Men mess by (mostly) avoiding both the Phoenix Force and Wolverine and the X-Men, and instead focuses on the group of villains that may be the team's greatest opponent.

And it may just be my impending geezerhood, but I really, really don't like the idea of kids as evil criminal masterminds.

Perhaps because, in this day of protecting children, how do you punish these bad guys? You can't have the good guys punch them out - they can't even get a paddling from the principal!

Oh, how you'll love this origin! Apparently born evil, young Kade Kilgore demonstrates amazing know-how and evil cunning as he plots to kill his own father, take over the Hellfire Club and then kill all the grownups involved in that organization.

Now he's taking aim at the X-Men, and with great power, unlimited funds and any weapon that can be imagined, he promises to make lots more trouble for the students at the Jean Grey School.

The art by Chris Bachalo is quite good - he does great work with mood and setting, though he's a bit dodgy sometimes with action sequences.

So, if you like seeing stories about children with no souls, gleefully enjoying murder and destruction - this is the book for you. I prefer my villains with some mileage on 'em - that way they have, like, a reason for being evil.

Grade: B

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Batman #0

Up to this issue, I've maintained that Batman is one of if not the best of the "New 52" comics.

But this one didn't work for me.

It takes us back to Bruce Wayne's pre-Batman career, as he tries to figure out the best approach to fighting crime in Gotham City.

It's ground that was well-covered in the original "Year One" series, but writer Scott Snyder finds some new corners unexplored. I could quibble about the change to a certain weapon in Batman's arsenal - it's wildly improbable - and the origin of another classic bit of Batman lore, the Bat-Signal - but the story's most painful misstep is the fact that a one-shot prequel is actually a continued story - that won't be concluded until next year.

The second story in the issue offers a look at some of the members of the Bat-Family in their pre-Bat configurations. It's interesting to a point, but doesn't really shed a lot of light.

Excellent art as always by Greg Capullo and Andy Clarke, but the story doesn't do much more than establish the Red Hoods as murdering monsters.

After a year of excellence, this was a bit of a letdown. But next issue looks promising.

Grade: B

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Avengers vs. X-Men #11

You have to wonder if we'll ever be surprised by any major comic book event again.

I say this because when such events happen - such as in this issue of Avengers vs. X-Men - the comics companies SEND OUT A PRESS RELEASE REVEALING THE TWIST TO THE PUBLIC. (Sorry for shouting - it's a personal peeve.)

I managed to avoid the stories about the "shocking" events in this issue, but my reaction was very ho-hum, frankly.

As with any major comics event, the big twist invariably involves death. And that death is almost always reversed somehow within a few years. (When it isn't reversed, it's always a character I wish like crazy they would bring back. See: The Wasp.)

So that's what happens here, as the noose tightens and the Phoenix Force continues to move in the "total annihilation of the Earth" direction, while the Avengers try to find a way to stop the unstoppable.

It's an issue with a few nice moments, but writer Brian Bendis doesn't manage any real shocks here. I suppose the last page comes close.

I really like artist Olivier Coipel's work (here with Mark Morales' inks), but he seems to struggle with the large number of characters on display here. For example, there a splash page of a big confrontation that looks nice, but I have no idea what's actually happening in there.

We'll have to wait for the next issue before passing final judgment on this series, but this issue seemed to be a by-the-numbers exercise in setting up the final issue.

Not bad, but not great.

Grade: B+

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