Ray's official OYL/52 thread! (Ray wants oomph)

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

He seems to waver between good and bad. My pet theory was that when he fought the OMAC in that issue, his original programming was reactivated and he went back to being evil and blew up the Watchtower. It turned out to be Superboy-Prime, of course.

Personally, I prefer him as a good character to a bad one. I loved seeing him as a hero during Reign (but then, I did love that arc - ah, the wide-eyed optimism of youth).

[bairdduvessa]

i have tried oh so many times to get into superman, and i just can't. i cannot find his character or his supporting cast (the exception being luthor occasion) interesting. I'm a psych guy, I do it for a living. And yet a character who should be awesome to look into and digest, I just can't do it.
Even the animated series of the 90s while it was fun, I only watched because my local stations would rotate batman episodes in during the run.

[Deej]

He seems to waver between good and bad. My pet theory was that when he fought the OMAC in that issue, his original programming was reactivated and he went back to being evil and blew up the Watchtower. It turned out to be Superboy-Prime, of course.

I didn't think he was ever really bad. He/it changed Clark into the Krypton Man twice...but I don't remember him doing anything evil since they brought him back in humanoid form.

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Quick thoughts on this weeks 52:

Spoiler:

I expected this issue to focus almost solely upon Doc Magnus, which it doesn't. Magnus is relegated to the last few pages. Majority of this issue deals with Luthor/Supernova/Steel/metagene and with Super-Chief. Now, just who the hell is Super-Chief, you might be asking. I'm still wondering that, myself. I have no idea what this guy is about.

It seems that Luthor is now convinced that Supernova is in reality Superman. His cronies believe that it is Superboy until Lex shuts them up with logic. Steel's plot moves forward slighly as he finds someone who can attest to Luthor shutting off the metagene.

At the end, we have Magnus getting captured by... a Sentinel? We seem to be having some plots moving along here. I think that Magnus has been captured by the same people who captured the other mad scientists and we're moving closer to resolving the Luthor/metagene storyline. As a side note, it seems that Luthor has been trying unsuccessfully to use the metagene on himself, some half-dozen tries now.

Looks like next week, we're back to Khandaq, with a possible resolution to the kidnapping of Isis' brother.

[Ray G.]

I typed up my entire fucking reviews for this week, and then the computer erased them on me.

I'll retype them tonight. But for those who are yet to pick up their books, buy 52, Detective, and All-New Atom. Nightwing is pretty good, but not a must-buy.

[Jef UK]

Did anybody else catch the Captain Carrot reference in today's 52?

Spoiler:

Go Fastback!

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

Did anybody else catch the Captain Carrot reference in today's 52?

Spoiler:

Go Fastback!

Completely missed that.

[Master Jack Rabbitt]

I typed up my entire fucking reviews for this week, and then the computer erased them on me.

I'll retype them tonight. But for those who are yet to pick up their books, buy 52, Detective, and All-New Atom. Nightwing is pretty good, but not a must-buy.

Dude, that fuckin sucks. Shitty deal.
Shame to hear that Nightwing wasn't as good as I was hoping. I've yet to get around to reading anything other than 52. Damn me for working.

[Deej]

Dude, that fuckin sucks. Shitty deal.
Shame to hear that Nightwing wasn't as good as I was hoping. I've yet to get around to reading anything other than 52. Damn me for working.

And Damn ME for going to the Mets game!!! NAH! Just kidding...it ROCKED!

[Ray G.]

Second verse, same as the first......

52: Week 22 - ****

This issue, while a lot of fun, sort of sums up the problem I've been having with 52. It often feels like the writing team is just throwing things up against the wall and seeing what sticks. We've had some issues with a stronger narrative lately, but this isn't one of them. There are no less that four threads going through this series, including probably the wierdest story so far in this series.

We open with a brief segment of Luthor confronting Supernova. The much hyped line about Kon-El not dying in the Crisis turns out to be a red herring, of course, and Luthor seems to believe Supernova is none other than Superman, wearing a mask to torment him. Luthor also figures prominently into the second segment, involving his metagene therapy, as a man who claims to have been given powers and stripped of them by Luthor finds a sympathetic ear in Steel. There is a rather interesting twist at the end, as we find out that Luthor's real motivation behind the project - giving himself superpowers - is unfulfilled because he's genetically incompatible.

The third segment kicks the mad scientist story into overdrive, as Will Magnus finds himself under attack by an army of evil robots who turn his own Metal Men against him, destroy Mercury, and blow up his house in a cliffhanger. I'm sure he survived, of course, but it's good to see this particular story get more play. It's one of my favorites.

And then we come to what I'm sure will be the most talked about segment in this week's issue - the return of Super-Chief! Yep, a young Native American man inherits the furry horned hat and battle-axe from his dead father and deranged grandfather - but not before suffocating his grandfather. Seems the new super-chief may not be all that nice a guy. Gee, I wonder which of the writers wrote this segment. I mean, it's freaking Super-Chief!

Next week promises to put Black Adam back at the fore, which is good.

Nightwing #125 - ***1/2

Well, the good news is that Nightwing as we know him is back. No more of the character-rape of the Grayson and Jones eras. Marv Wolfman knows the character, and brings him back to his roots as DC's quintessential average-guy superhero. There's a very spider-man style vibe to this issue, which is good, as Dick settles into his new life, meets some sexy new neighbors, and searches for a job. It's also far more densely plotted than most of DC's books, which I enjoy. Wolfman definitely makes sure you get your money's worth. And it really feels like a Nightwing comic should. So why only three and a half stars? Simple. While the character work and dialogue is strong, the main plot just isn't. It involves Dick chasing down a new generic villain called "Raptor" who's accused of killing a scientist. Of course, Raptor claims innocence, and when Dick investigates, it seems there's....a link between the scientists who were attacked! And then Raptor reveals his dark secret, and we've seen it a million times before. There's nothing wrong here, but it's not breaking any new ground. The last scene makes things interesting, as Dick is seemingly visited by a Monitor and given the same warning that Kyle Rayner was at the end of the last issue of Ion. A good start, but I'm hoping for more on the plotting end.

Detective Comics #824 - *****(Pick of the Week)

Well, there's no way that four issues in a row can be a fluke. Paul Dini is a fucking God when it comes to writing Batman. Every single issue of this book feels like an episode of B: TAS that didn't make the cut for some reason, be it a little too violent, or too complex, or a crossover, and each manages to be completely unique. This issue is essentially a Batman/Lois Lane team-up, as the two meet up at the opening of Penguin's new club, the Iceberg Lounge(I love the small nods to the animated series). There are so many great touches in this episode, from the Penguin and Riddler comparing notes on their respective reformations(and they're both better comic foils than they ever were villains), to Penguin attacking Batman with Leopard seals at one point, to the complete parody that is Bruce's date, to the new villain introduced here, Mr. ZZZ, a narcoleptic crime lord who inexplicably always wins at cards. There's a mystery here, but I won't spoil it for you unless asked. But in four issues, Dini has managed to introduce three new Bat-villains(Facade, Harvest, Mr. ZZZ). I don't know if they're keepers, but they're sure fun to read about. If you have any love at all for Batman, you need to be reading this book.

Outsiders #41 - ****

Good news and ironic news. First the good news. This is the best issue of Outsiders since the jump. The covert ops crap is finally ditched, and the team is exposed to the world along with all their crimes over the last year. Nightwing is exposed as a liar, while the rest of the Outsiders are revealed not to have died in a mysterious disaster at Iron Heights where they apparently all faked their deaths. The reactions to having their cover blown are compelling, and provide some of the best character moments in the title in a while. Even if Sivana and Sabre(his generic female assassin) don't make for very compelling foils, it's still a fun and exciting read, and the title promises to only get better from here. Boomerang doesn't get much screen time here, but since he's written so well over in Supergirl, I can't complain.

Now, on to the ironic news. For years, Winick fans have been able to point to this book as the one time Judd Winick has not used his book to insert the political themes(gay rights/AIDS/social welfare) he likes to write on. And it was true - until now. As of this issue, Thunder and Grace are revealed to be in a lesbian relationship. Now, I have no problem with this(No. Problem. ), but it's still sort of funny. I guess Judd couldn't resist.

The All-New Atom #4 - *****

It's official: Gail Simone is completely out of her mind, and we all get to enjoy the results. This book, easily the crown jewel of the Brave New World stories, only gets better and wierder with each issue. This issue opens with the greatest action scene ever set inside a giant woman's stomach. How can you not love that! Eddy Barrows takes over for John Byrne, and while the shift is noticable(but not necessarily bad) in action scenes, his faces are so spot-on that it's hard to tell the difference. The gonzo-science aspect of this book that makes it so unique continues to be used to great effect here, and it's really appealing to see a hero actually think his way out of problems rather than punch his way out(sometimes). Dwarfstar only appears in one scene here, but next issue promises more and better things for the Atom's new archnemesis. Gail even manages to provide a clever and unique explanation for why Ivy Town is so thoroughly fucked up, and Ryan Choi continues to be a strong, likable character. The cliffhanger is an obvious red herring, of course, but the issue is so strong, it doesn't even matter.

OMAC #$ - ***1/2

Well, the ride couldn't last forever. The last two issues of this book have been spectacular. This one, distinctly less so. The book is still very strong when it focuses on Young Mike Costner and his struggle to escape the law and keep the OMAC inside him at bay, but it's less interesting when it focuses on Brother Eye's conspiracy and the robotic monologues. I loved the segments of this issue that involved Mike and the hotties he met up with last issue dealing with their violent pimp, but at the same time, every time the story seemed to get going, it would be interrupted for giant robot stuff. There's a very Hulk-like vibe to this story of an innocent man with a wanted monster trapped inside him, which shouldn't be a surprise given Jones' lengthy run on the book. This book will probably be rather slow-moving for some people, but there's a lot of interesting character work in there. Jones has created a really unique teen hero for the DC Universe, but I'm not sure his skill for dialogue is strong enough to tell the full story of this character. While I'm looking forward to seeing how this story ends, I really hope Mike Costner sticks around for other writers to play with. Like I said last issue, why NOT an OMAC in the Teen Titans?

Mystery in Space #2 - ****

There is truly no one who can write a cosmic mystery like Jim Starlin. This shouldn't be a surprise, as he basically invented the cosmic comic for the modern era, but it's good to see he hasn't lost his touch. In lesser hands, this story of a resurrected, rejuvenated Captain Comet trying to solve the mystery of his own death could have been obscure and convoluted, but Starlin manages to keep it just complex enough to keep you interested, while not losing you. And it has a talking Bulldog. Talking dogs make everything better. It needs to play poker at some point. The backup, starring The Wierd, reveals itself to be less of a simple backup and more of a companion piece to the main story, Both men are trying to solve the mystery of their own death and resurrection, but while Captain Comet's journey is more of a superhero epic, the Wierd's takes him into the streets of this wierd alien society, which is much less friendly than it first appeared. And all indications indicate that this title will be the first current appearance of Lady Styx, one of the big bads of 52. Keep your eyes on this book.