All in All

It's just occurred to me that I haven't talked comics for a while. Does this mean that I'm coming to terms with being a 40-year old man and starting to bore of them a little?

Hell, no. I've just been busy, that's all. I'm not the onlyy one either, so much has happened in the spandex-wearing DC universe I'm notn sure if one blog will cover it.

The Crisis has really started, and the cause is Alexander Luther and Superboy-Prime. They have kidnapped one representative from what was each of the old earths to kick start a machine to bring back Earth-2, they have instigated the Villain war, they have instigated the space war in order to create a new centre of the universe, they have distracted Magic, and encouraged a lot of deaths.

So far we have seen Paradise Island and all the Amazons disappear from Man's World so that they can live in peace, Captain Marvel assume the role of Shazam, taking him off the board, Batman have a bit of a breakdown, an entire city destroyed, Flashes disappear into the Speedforce taking the speedforce with them, and death upon death. Someone called Neptune Perkins was bitten in half (dunno who he was, don't care either), Titans Pantha, Wildebeest and ally Bushido were quite viciously killed, Jade died rather uneventfully in space, Airwave may or may not have died too (that one was a bit confusing as I don't know the character). Three issues to go and I still don't have any idea where it will all lead to.

Good things and bad things:

Good. The action has really picked up speed. The art and writing are good. As many people as possible are involved. No-one I really like has died yet. It makes me impatient for a month to pass to read the next issue. Not sure where this will leave Wonder Woman (she's not safe from the block yet) but hopeful. The Doom Patrol are sorted out sort of (I'll expand on this in a minute)

Bad. I understand that some people who died (Lady Quark for example) are suddenly still around, which is bad editing ignoring their death because they are useful to the plot. The Rann-Thanagar War special was rather shoddily done - Jade's death rather undramatic, the Green lanterns recognising Superboy Prime when technically he's never existed before, Donna Troy not well portrayed. The cover to issue 4 (above) implied that Donna's space team were going to play a big part when they had two pages total.

Probably just minor quibbles, though.

I only mention the Doom Patrol (he said digressing perhaps but I can't be arsed starting a new blog to write this comment), is because although I have little interest in the group, I was infuriated when writer/artist John Byrne decided that he wanted to write a new version which meant everything ever written before ceased to exist. This was a real insult to every writer and artist who ever worked on the series (including my favourite Grant Morrison). Thankfully it's all been folded back into itself now and they did all exist (somehow) so Byrne's ego trip has been cancelled out. I find Byrne overrated, and I find his ego and attitude offensive. I also hated his Wonder Woman which also went some way to re-write her and her supporting cast's history (including Donna troy) in his image, which in my opinion indirectly led to the temporary death of Donna and permanent death of Queen Hippolyta.

(Perhaps I do read comics too much. Come home soon Mac, make me read real books again!)

# posted by hitch @ 2:10 PM