The New 52 Review: LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Paul Levitz
ARTIST: Francis Portela
COLORS: Javier Mena
LETTERS: Pat Brosseau
COVER: Karl Kerschl
32pp, Color, $2.99

The Legion of Super-Heroes is a DC Comics superhero team whose adventures are set the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Comics Universe. The team first appeared in Adventure Comics #247 (cover date April 1958) and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino.

In that comic book, the original Superboy meets three teenagers from the 30th century: Lightning Boy, Saturn Girl, and Cosmic Boy, who were members of a “super-hero club,” called the Legion of Super-Heroes. The trio formed the club with Superboy as an inspiration, and for a long time, the Legion was closely associated with Superboy (the version that was Superman as a teenager).

With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” the Legion of Super-Heroes gets a new series (in what seems like the tenth time in 10 years). Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (“Renegade World”) finds members of the Legion on Panoptes, a military “Watchworld,” from where the United Planets keeps an eye on the Dominators’ Empire. Now, there is a problem and contact with Panoptes has been lost. Chameleon Boy, Dragonwing, Phantom Girl, Ultra Boy, and Chemical Kid embark on a stealth mission to discover if anything is wrong on Panoptes. Something is.

I was an avid Legion of Super-Heroes reader from the mid to late 1980s, and, of course, my favorite writer of Legion adventures was Paul Levitz. This first issue of the new Legion of Super-Heroes series is written by Levitz, although I didn’t find anything here that reminded me of the good old days. Half of this issue is a collection of scenes offered to catch readers up on the Legion, but there isn’t much story in these scenes. The Panoptes plotline is actually good, and I wish more of this issue had been devoted to it.

The art, which is a joint venture by Francis Portela (pencils/inks) and Javier Mena (colors) is quite pretty. The colors shimmer like a candied kaleidoscope, and the compositions and quality of the drawing are tight with few cracks. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a strong and long-lasting Legion of Super-Heroes series.

B+

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
BLUE BEETLE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/blue-beetle-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/dc-comics-presents-1.html
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-lantern-corps-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
SUPERGIRL #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/supergirl-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

The New 52 Review: DC COMICS PRESENTS # 1

"Alive, again"

DC COMICS PRESENTS # 1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Paul Jenkins
ARTIST: Bernard Chang
COLORS: Blond
LETTERS: Dave Sharpe
COVER: Ryan Sook
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Deadman is a DC Comics character that first appeared in Strange Adventures #205 (cover date October 1967). Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Carmine Infantino, Deadman is the ghost of circus trapeze artist, Boston Brand, who performed under the name Deadman, a stage persona in which he wore a red costume and white corpse makeup. After he is murdered, Brand’s spirit is given the power to possess any living being by a Hindu goddess named Rama Kushna (a DC Comics version of Rama-Krishna), in order to search for his murderer and obtain justice.

With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” the classic 1970s and 80s series, DC Comics Presents (1978-1986) returns. In this new series, it is DC Comics Presents Deadman in “Twenty Questions,” a new storyline.

DC Comics Presents #1 gives a recap of Deadman’s origin, a flashback to Boston Brand, the arrogant trapeze artist shot down mid-performance. We see how he met Rama, essentially his patron goddess who points him down the path to redemption and balance. Now, Deadman has to enter the body of Johnny Foster, injured war vet, but Deadman has plans that may shock Rama, but will certainly shock us.

This first issue of DC Comics Presents is one of the wordier first issues of a comic book that I’ve read in some time. Bruthas and sistas, if you still don’t know what Deadman is about after reading this, you’ll never get it. Writer Paul Jenkins provides a detailed introduction to Deadman that he deftly ties into Deadman’s first “client,” the tragic war vet. And Jenkins does this without taking a big crap on Deadman’s history, keeping the character intact without committing some ridiculous re-imagining that completely changes an already-interesting character.

Not to forget the artist: Bernard Chang visually and graphically recalls classic 1960s and 70s Deadman without having to copy Neal Adams. The robotic coloring by Blond often gives Chang’s drawings surreal or ghostly touches, making Chang’s striking images even more striking. There is a combat flashback scene at the top of a page near the middle of this issue. It is such an arresting series of images that it is still on mind. I would say that sequence makes this issue or art team Eisner and Harvey Awards nomination worthy.

A

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
BLUE BEETLE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/blue-beetle-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-lantern-corps-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
SUPERGIRL #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/supergirl-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

The New 52 Review: BLUE BEETLE #1

BLUE BEETLE #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Tony Bedard
PENCILS: Ig Guara
INKS: Ruy Jose
COLORS: Pete Pantazis
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: Tyler Kirkham and Sal Regla with Nate Eyring
32pp, Color, $2.99

The superhero Blue Beetle first appeared in Mystery Men Comics #1 (cover-dated August 1939) from the publisher, Fox Comics. The original Blue Beetle was Dan Garret, a rookie police officer who used special equipment, a bulletproof costume, and a super-strength formula to fight crime. In Captain Atom #83 (cover-dated November 1966), Charlton Comics introduced the best known Blue Beetle, Ted Kord. Kord was a student of Dan Garret’s and also an inventor who used special gadgets to fight crime.

After DC Comics bought the rights to the Charlton characters, the Ted Kord Blue Beetle starred in several series for the next two decades. The most recent Blue Beetle, Jamie Reyes, debuted in 2006 and is a Latino teenager who uses alien technology. “The New 52,” DC Comics’ re-launch of its superhero line, gives Jaime Reyes a new comic book series. Blue Beetle #1 (“Metamorphosis, Part One”) opens a long time ago, as The Reach destroys a world in Space Sector 2. Readers will recognize that the soldiers of The Reach look like Blue Beetle. They are soldiers created by blue Scarabs.

Present day, the most important thing on Jaime Reyes’ mind is Brenda Del Vecchio’s party. However, the festivities are at Brenda’s aunt’s house, and Jaime’s parents don’t want their son in the home of Doña Cardenas. But a teen will do what a teen has to do, and Jaime is racing to the party with his pal, Paco. However, this car ride is heading to a date with super-villains and a certain scarab.

Simply put, Blue Beetle #1 is a top-notch superhero comic book and a great read. Writer Tony Bedard squeezes quite a bit of narrative into 22-pages, from the origins of the scarab that gives Blue Beetle his powers and uniform to the environment in which series star Jaime Reyes lives. Plus, Bedard includes two good battle scenes.

Bedard’s script allows penciller Ig Guara to show off his broad compositional and design skills in creating diverse settings: alien worlds, outer space battles, teen melodrama, and super-powered fights. These are four essential set pieces from the superhero comic book catalog, which Guara draws with a deft touch and captures with sharply defined emotion and explosive action. Blue Beetle should be a hit.

A-

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-lantern-corps-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
SUPERGIRL #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/supergirl-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

The New 52 Review: SUPERGIRL #1

SUPERGIRL #1
DC COMICS

WRITERS: Michael Green and Mike Johnson
PENCILS: Mahmud Asrar
INKS: Dan Green with Mahmud Asrar
COLORS: Dave McCaig
LETTERS: John J. Hill
COVER: Mahmud Asrar with Dave McCaig
32pp, Color, $2.99

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Supergirl is a female counterpart of Superman. The most familiar version of the character, Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El, was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino. She first appeared in Action Comics #252 (cover date May 1959), although there were two earlier versions of the character that appeared, first in 1949 and then in 1958.

In addition to appearing in various titles, Supergirl first had her own comic book series in the early 1970s and again in the early 1980s. With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” Supergirl has a new comic book series.

Supergirl #1 (“Last Daughter of Krypton”) finds Kara Zor-El in Siberia, Russia when she thinks she is still on Krypton, sleeping and experiencing a really strange dream. Suddenly, she’s fighting six massive suits of battle armor. She should have been killed early in the fight, but what are these amazing powers she suddenly has?

Like a 22-page battle manga, Supergirl throws a gigantic fight in readers’ faces. The art by Mahmud Asrar recalls the power and design of Jack Kirby. Asrar, who has drawn Star Wars comic books for Dark Horse Comics, however, already knows how to bring sci-fi tech and character drama together. He may be the one person in this creative team who really brings out the potential of the new Supergirl series.

A-

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-lantern-corps-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

The New 52 Review: GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Peter J. Tomasi
PENCILS: Fernando Pasarin
INKS: Scott Hanna
COLORS: Gabe El Taeb
LETTERS: Pat Brosseau
COVER: Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy with Randy Mayor
32pp, Color, $2.99

The best known Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, first appeared in Showcase #22 (September-October 1959). Not only was Hal a Green Lantern (of Sector 2814), he was also a member of the Green Lantern Corps. Technically, the Corps first appeared in Showcase #22 when Hal met Abin Sur, his forerunner. However, Hal didn’t meet another Green Lantern until Green Lantern #6 (May-June 1961).

With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” the Green Lantern Corps gets its own comic book series (after decades of one-shots, miniseries, backups, and specials). The leads in this new series are Guy Gardner (Green Lantern of Sector 2814.2) and John Stewart (Green Lantern of Sector 2814.3).

Green Lantern Corps #1 (“Triumph of the Will”) opens with Green Lanterns being murdered in Space Sector 3599. Meanwhile, Guy and John are trying to lead meaningful lives as civilians on Earth.

Green Lantern Corps #1 looks like Green Lantern #1 because both series have artists doing the Brian Bolland-clone thing. In this case, Fernando Pasarin (pencils) and Scott Hanna (inks) have slightly more imaginative environments to draw and, in turn, win over Green Lantern’s penciller, Doug Mahnke. Writer Peter J. Tomasi does a good job setting up scenes involving murder and mystery, and the character drama he writes to depict John and Guy’s difficulties is good – poignant even in the case of Guy.

I’m not afraid to say that this Green Lantern title may be better than the main Green Lantern title.

B+

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

Trina Robbins at Fantagraphics Bookstore October 8th

Underground Comix Legend Trina Robbins Presents The Brinkley Girls in Seattle

For over thirty years Nell Brinkley’s beautiful girls pirouetted, waltzed, vamped and shimmied their way through the pages of William Randolph Hearst’s newspapers, captivating the American public with their innocent sexuality. Accomplished cartoonist and women’s comix “herstorian” Trina Robbins examines the work of this unjustly forgotten artist in The Brinkley Girls, The Best of Nell Brinkley’s Cartoons 1913 – 1940. Robbins will present the work of this remarkable illustrator with an exhibition, slide talk and book signing at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday, October 8 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.

A brash Nell Brinkley arrived in New York in 1907 at the tender age of 22. Within a year, her work began to appear newspapers illustrating her high society gossip column. Her cartoon serials popularized the bobbed hairstyle and flapper fashions of the era, while reflecting period art nouveau and deco aesthetics. Such was her influence that the Ziegfeld Follies costumed their dancers as “Brinkley Girls.” Pop music heralded her creations and a line of hair products carried her name. As the war years approached, her comic strip serials evolved from naive romantic themes like “Billy and Betty and Their Love Through the Ages” to presenting women in less traditional roles like “Heroines of Today.” Championing the cause of better pay and conditions for workingwomen, Brinkley became an early archetype of the contemporary American woman.

Trina Robbins has long championed the work of women cartoonists. Her early underground work appeared in the groundbreaking Wimmen’s Comix anthology. In 1969 she co-created the character Vampirella for Forrest Ackerman and later collaborated with Colleen Doran on a provocative Wonder Woman series. She has written several volumes on the role of women in comix including From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Women’s Comics from Teens to Zines. Robbins co-founded Friends of Lulu in 1994, a nonprofit organization promoting women’s readership of comics and increasing profile in the comix profession. In addition to her appearance at Fantagraphics Bookstore, Robbins will be a guest at Geek Girl Con held at the Seattle Center October 8 and 9.

The “Brinkley Girls” exhibition includes a dozen Brinkley comics pages, as well as Brinkley-illustrated sheet music, hair accessories, photographs, and related ephemera. Robbins will discuss Nell Brinkley’s fascinating career followed by an informal reception and book signing from 6:00 to 9:00 PM on Saturday, October 8 at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, 1201 S. Vale St., Seattle. Phone 206.658.0110.

This event coincides with the lively Georgetown Art Attack featuring visual and performing arts presentations throughout the historic neighborhood.

Readstober

Welcome to I Reads You, my blog about the things I read (mostly comic books, comics, and related books) and about the things I come across worth reading (mostly about comic books, politics, and entertainment). Sometimes I’ll comment on “real” books and the mass media.

I’m Leroy Douresseaux, and I have another blog: http://www.negromancer.com/. I also write for the Comic Book Bin (which has smart phones apps).

Internet issues have largely kept this blog silent since Wednesday.  Thanks for your patience.

All images and text appearing on this blog are copyright © and/or trademark their respective owners.