The Continuing Saga

     Right now, the Old Man Logan arc in Wolverine is yet another view at a Marvel world gone wrong, an alternate future where everything is totally screwed up, and the survivors are all alone.  It’s something that’s been done over and over, especially in comics.  So what makes this one different?  The fact that Wolverine is not either dead or badass.  Something serious happened in the past to Wolverine, and this issue finally has him explaining it to Hawkeye.  And what’s the explanation?  He killed the X-Men.

     That’s right, he killed the X-Men.  Shocking, no?  Thanks to Mysterio, Wolverine killed every last one of the X-Men, thinking that they were villains coming in to kill him and everyone else.  Pause for a second there, and think about it.  Wolverine is badass.  Could he really kill all the X-Men?  No.  Even factoring in the fact that they would pause.  By the time he killed a few of them, they’d realize he’s serious, start pounding on him, and that would be the end.  So the central idea of this issue, and the main reason why Wolverine is the way he is now is a bit unbelievable.  Does it make this future any less cool?  For the most part, no.  And Steve McNiven’s pencils are still amazing.  Nonetheless, a ridiculous backstory takes a bit of this arc away.  We all know Wolverine is the most badass guy around.  But taking out a whole, massive team out by himself?  Mark Millar needs to be a bit more reasonable here.

Plot: 8.4      Art: 9.4      Dialogue: 9.4      Overall: 8.9

Borderline Pointless Violence

     To say the least, Sean McKeever’srun on Teen Titans has been slow and without a clear direction.  With Terror Titans, the spin-off miniseries highlighting the titular villainous team and Ravager, it’s just plain violent.  The Terror Titans managed to take out Miss Martian and Red (then Kid) Devil before Ravager blew up Titans Tower, and Robin, Wonder Girl, and Blue Beetle came to their hideout to fail at beating them up.  And now, the characters who nobody cares about get more face time.  Seriously, Disrupteris a nasty gal.  No doubt about that.  Bolt (that’s right, he’s the new Bolt) and Persuader are supposed to be somewhat relatable (which, according to this site’s dictionary, is not a word).  But they’re also jerks, so that doesn’t really work.  Nobody even knows who Constrictor is, and that’s supposed to be an appealing mystery.

     The two most interesting characters are the main characters of the series, Clock King and Ravager.  Clock King is deliciously evil in a way few characters are nowadays.  And Ravager is the female version of Wolverine.  All kick-ass, butt-whoopin’ action plus attitude.  One of my personal favorite characters in DC Comics at the moment.  Why did she leave the Teen Titans?  To hang out with another precog, who is acting even worse than her father?  The one whose drugs made her gouge her eyes out?  Er…  Honestly, Ravager’s presence in this story is tenuous at best.

     So, people keep getting killed in gruesome ways for no apparent reason than to provide gratuitous violence.  Why?  Why do we have to see people’s heads cut in two, and why does somebody need to get killed every issue?  Now, I am very excited to see Static show up in DC.  As a fan of Static Shock, I’m thrilled to see the Milestone Comics characters get integrated.  But all he does in this issue is beat up Ravager, get beaten up by Dark Side Club thugs, and then he’s gone.  So what’s the purpose of all this?  Clock King’s master plan?  Let’s be honest.  This should be an ongoing arc in Teen Titans, not its own story.  That’s the main problem.  It would be great as a part of a larger narrative in the series, but on its own, it wants to rely on blood to get your bucks.  Not the best strategy.  At least Joe Bennett’s art is nice.

Plot: 7.3      Art: 8.8      Dialogue: 7.9     Overall: 7.5

Truly Chilling

     As someone who loves Green Lantern, it was no shock for me to start reading Green Lantern Corps, especially due to its crucial role in the leadup to Blackest Night.  This storyline was the first storyline I bought, aside from Sinestro Corps War, and I must say, I am very impressed.  Few series so excellently complement their parent title as this one does.  It shows so much of what is going on with the Corps as a whole and juggles a massive supporting cast.  This current issue ties into the Faces of Evil semi-event going on in all the DC Comics right now.  Peter Tomasi has a lot to handle and a lot to live up to.

     This arc deals with two intersecting plotlines: the chase of and battle with Kryb, one of the most frightening ideas in comic book history, and the creation of the first of the Violet Lantern Corps, the Star Sapphires.  Let me make this clear: the whole idea of Kryb is AWESOME.  Then, we’ve got Amnee and Matoo Pree, plus Kyle Rayner, Soranik Natu, and unimportant Lantern #1 facing off against her.  And Amnee gets some awesome mother action of the same kind as a certain Harry Potter character.  To be honest, I’m not entirely sure why this arc’s title is what it is, because all it really does is set up the idea of the Star Sapphires.  Kryb and the new anti-romance law of the Guardians is more the key here.  But it’s still an amazing arc.  I’m not much of a fan of Patrick Gleason’s art, but it fits with Kryb so perfectly.  If this and the main title are any indication, Blackest Night is going to be one of the best comic book arcs EVER.

Plot: 9.2      Art: 8.7      Dialogue: 9.2      Overall: 9.0