Rogues' Revenge #1

A very fast pace issue with the return of the...well the title gives it away...The Rogues. Some of Flash's most fierce villains err well villains. Captain Cold still doesn't think highly of Libra and his society while mirror master feels different. When the rogues arrive back to their old hide out they find some young hooligans there. After a quick and by quick i mean like a three page battle its over. They quickly find out that they were the Trickster's gang. Unlike everybody else the Trickster is in good spirits since they killed the Flash. Captain Cold umm politely informs him that the game wasn't supposed to be won. Their number one rule is NEVER kill a speedster. After that the rogues have decided to turn their suits in and call it quits, but due to some events and the return of a major flash villain and reverse flash they decide to break their rule one last time. There is even a part with Libra in it. Just long enough for the Rogues to do the right thing and refuse to join his gang.


Once again Geoff Johns amazes me with his magnificent writing. Scott Kolins artwork also is a master piece. This is a must read for everybody. The way Johns portrays the Rogues as not really bad guys but dare I say good guys in this story. They even admit to being to greedy when accepting Inertia's offer at a shot at the Flash. Captain Cold makes the comment that they were going to hang up being super villains once the Bart became the Flash. He figured they had tangled with two flashes already and once the third one showed up they had had enough. I can't wait till issue 2 comes out next month. I have yet to be let down by any of the final crisis titles.




Recomended

Batman 678 (August 2008)

Wow. Morrison hits another home run with this issue.

RECAP

From the beginning with Robin reading Batman's Black Casebook, to Bruce Wayne's odyssey, to the final page featuring the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, this was another classic by Grant Morrison. Just the amount of territory covered in this issue is amazing.

The Bat-Radia is turned on.

Robin Dies at Dawn.

The original Batwoman.

The Club of Villains.

Robin reading the Casebook.

Zur-en-arrh.

Bruce's odyssey.

Crime Alley.

The Black Glove's trap for Nightwing(I don't know how he will get out of this without help).

Thomas Wayne's Batman costume.

The return of Honor Jackson.

R.I.P. has certainly kept me on the edge of my seat. I can not wait for the next installment featuring the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, Robin vs. Damian, and the Joker.

REVIEW

Some fans love Grant Morrison and others hate him. I fall in with the group that thinks he is one of the most innovative writers in comics today(possibly ever). To date, Batman R.I.P. is his masterpiece. Grant is pulling together threads from his first Batman stories, 52, and tries to show that all of the Batman stories happened to the current Batman. If you are a fan who wants to see Batman swing into action, this issue will be a disappointment. The focus on this issue is Bruce Wayne's odyssey. I thought it was great as part of the overall storyline. Grant has me counting the days until the next chapter is published.

Tony Daniel(inked by Sandu Florea) has taken his art to the next level. I do not know if his art has naturally progressed to this point or if working with Grant has inspired him. All I know is that Tony is doing a great job on this book. His art has become the perfect compliment to Grant's scripts.

Highest recommendation possible.

Booster Gold 1000000 (September 2008)

Journey's End.

RECAP

A great wrap-up to the Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz era of Booster Gold. Like the other issues in this series, this continues a classic storyline. This book is one of the top series in comics.

Some comments on this issue:

I liked seeing Booster get a break. A surprising return of an old character.

It was interesting to see the effect Booster has on the year 1,000,000. Peter Platinum???

How is that for for a mystery at Kord Industries? Any ideas who the intruder is?

The big surprise is the true identity of Rip Hunter! They caught me off guard with this one.

Batman. That says it all.

This one has it all.

REVIEW

This issue is the end of an era for Booster Gold. Writers Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz are leaving the book. The next two issues will be written by Chuck Dixon(and the previews look good). The new regular writer has not been named yet. I hope the new writer can continue the excellence of Geoff and Jeff.

Fortunately, as far as I know the art team of Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund are staying. The interesting part of this is that Dan was the artist(and writer) of the original Booster Gold series. It would not be the same if he left.

Highly recommended.

Hulk 4 (August 2008)

The good and the bad.

RECAP

The rampage of the red Hulk continues as the red and green Hulks clash. In the tradition of of epic Hulk battles, many things get smashed. The red Hulk reveals his plan but does not say who he was before he became the Hulk. New evidence points the finger at a long time Hulk cast member. Only time will tell if it is really him.

REVIEW

I have mixed reviews of this series. On one hand, I really like most of the stories Jeph Loeb has written. He has done some classic Batman stories. I thought his Daredevil: Yellow was great. This series just does not have much of a story to it. It takes as long to read an issue of Grant Morrison's Batman as it does the first four issues of the Hulk.

Ed McGuinness's art is perfect for the Hulk. He does a great job with big battle scenes.

I do not know who is resposible but this series continues to run late. I would recommend waiting for the trade paperback to pick up this series. The storyline is ok with some surprises but it is disappointing overall.

Recommended(with some reservations).

Teen Titans 60 (August 2008)

Sean McKeever and Eddy Barrows have produced another great issue in their Teen Titans run.

RECAP
"Time to Kill" is the concluding chapter to the first saga of the Terror Titans. From the initial fight between Kid Devil and Hardrock to the inevitable exit of a Teen Titan on the last page, this is classic Titans. McKeever/Barrows were fantastic choices to carry on the legacy of the other Titans creators.

Continuing the tradition established during Marv Wolfman's tenure, McKeever wraps up the main storyline but does not answer all of the reader's questions. It is the same style of storytelling used on the Wolfman/Perez Titans and the Claremont/Cockrum,Byrne, etc. X-Men.

Who is the Clock King?

Where did he get his powers?

Is there a connection between him and Ravager?

Is he connected to one of the New Gods(in light of Final Crisis series, it is a possibility)?

I have always enjoyed comics that tell a complete story but leave some mysteries unsolved.

Next issue looks interesting with the team-up of Blue Beetle and Kid Devil. I am curious where this book is heading now that this storyline is finished(for now). The upcoming Terror Titans mini-series should be interesting.

Based on the DC Nation page in the back, it looks like Kid Eternity is joining the group. So far, I have not heard who the two mystery Titans will be. It does look like Robin is not in the picture of the future line-up.

Highly recommended.

Green Lantern 32 (August 2008)

Secret Origins Part 4 is another great chapter in Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis' tenure on this title.

RECAP
The storyline is now to the point where Hal Jordan has returned to Earth after his Green Lantern bootcamp last issue. Geoff does a good job of showing that life has continued while Hal was away. This is very much like real life. Everyone else's life does not go on hold when we are not around. I liked his portrayal of Carol Ferris. For a short time, we see Carol turn back into the woman Hal loves. I always thought that Carol was the one who held the key to Hal's heart.

The interaction with Sinestro was perfect. His attitude and confidence was great. This is the Sinestro I wanted to see. It will be interesting to see his friendship with Hal develop as the series progresses.

This time we are shown the origin of Hector Hammond. Geoff provides him with a reason to hate Green Lanterns in general and Hal in particular. The cliffhanger at the end of this issue will have you waiting on the edge of your seat for the next installment. It also looks like next issue might present the origin of Black Hand.

Ivan Reis proves, once again, that he is the perfect artist for Geoff's stories. At times, I could swear he is being assisted by Neal Adams. Keep up the great work.

Highly recommended.