Know what? Let's just review / discuss the first arc of each of the books I've kept up with. They're all meant to be read in six issue chunks. Which are being released as a trade paperback soon.
Green Lantern did than better than most of these new series by offering a real cliff-hanger in the middle of the first arc.
Unfortunately the arc has done little but have both major characters get their
person lives squared away. It makes the book feel like clean-up. Just giving
Sinestro and Hal Jordan a little something to lose for the next arc, but it isn’t
thrilling or satisfying to see Hal “get the girl” or Sinestro accept
responsibility for all he’s done to his race. I can get pretty cozy with just
some exploration of the Green Lantern mythos though. I’m with Sinestro in never
having trusted the Guardians or their dogma, doesn’t matter how big their book
is. Those tidbits have sustained me but a Hal centric story will push me right
out. Hal’s just this self-centered little nothing wreck of a man wanting to
feel special. Sinestro will actually take this story in interesting directions
by figuring out all the secrets the Guardians have kept. Hal dragging down half
the book makes it tough to keep reading…
What A
Fucking Mess. The Red Hood that got me into this series has all but
disappeared. Let me just blow through major plot points and scenes from issues
2-5 to showcase how absurd it has gotten. So, ancient shapeshifting beings of pure evil
live among humanity, blending into the day-today, not causing a fuss unless an
ancient, but not quite as ancient, monk collective shows up for a throw down.
Cue Red Hood (the last of the monks).
Meanwhile, Random Fucking Guy transform himself into a green goblin (not capital Gs) using alien technology that he hates to fight aliens because he hates them (they killed his mom and dad or something). Goes through
his whole life story without prompt. Deeply lonely. Beaten by Arsenal so you
know he’s garbage. Flashback! Starfire isn’t just a set of giant, orange,
boobs. She knows bullshit pop culture psychology AND philosophy. Tells Red Hood
to forget all that history that makes him a character and be something new for
this series. Because she can only smell people anyways.
The art
is brilliant at least. Colorful with this comic book / realistic sketchy
quality. Everything is crisp and vibrant. Detail without being a mess at first
blush. Even if you’re not the type to really take in a scene, it will drag your
eye over every inch of it. I mean it. Every inch. Red Hood’s coat? Incredible (check out that cover right there).
Never mind the action poses or the characters themselves.
The
quality has plummeted since issue TWO. All effort to organically and logically
being the League together has been jettisoned in the fall. Cyborg, the unknown
kid with alien tech strapped over his body, just appears and joins up. Never mind
that what the League is fighting are aliens with tech strapped over their body.
I think Superman asks him if he’s “cool”, to which Victor (Cyborg) says he has no idea
what’s going on or who he is, and apparently that’s good enough. Wonder Woman
is trying so hard to be tough but the abysmal writing can’t convince anybody.
She’s also playing the comically ignorant “alien on Earth” and those efforts
just make you want to gag. By the time Aquaman pops out of nowhere, it’s clear
anybody can just show up and be on the team, plus get the next cover. He quips
that the aliens are under water too and falls right into line. Sum total
motivation and exchange with the League over in one panel. Very efficient.
The
biggest problem is the League is one shared personality with seven mouths. And
the only thing this beast can do is verbalize the action. “Superman just used
that truck like a baseball bat!”. I hate when anybody speaks. It’s tedious,
boring, and insulting.
Darksied
is another set of problems. 1) His name is dumb. 2) His signature, and perhaps
only, attack is dumb. 3) He looks dumb. 4) His plan to conqueror Earth to feed
his ego is dumb. The guy is from decades ago and doesn’t need to be revisited
in this form. Crazy aliens attack the Earth with lasers! We all, children to
adults, know every step and feint of this story. On top of the handling here
being so clumsy. After SIX I’m done and not looking back. Jim Lee couldn’t
save this and that’s saying something.
Images Copywrite DC Dcomics
Images Copywrite DC Dcomics
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