Superboy #20

(w) Justin Jordan     (a) RB Silva, Rob Lean, Kenneth Rocafort, and ChrisCross

There exists, in the comic book industry today, a debate over systematic ageism. Jerry Ordway’s now infamous rant detailing his experience of being a comic book writer after his prime has become a sort-of galvanizing point to those who believe middle-aged and older writers are being pushed to the side to make way for younger talent. Ordway waxed poetic about ideas he’s yet to see happen, that he still has a lot to offer story-wise, and that he isn’t ready to be pigeonholed as a commission artist at conventions. On the intimate level Ordway is trying to reach his fans upon, his talking points sound fair and legitimate. Why take a risk on inexperienced, young writers when there’s a gamut of veterans waiting for a call from the Big Two?

What Ordway seems to forget is that it was his generation of ‘Young Turks’ who blew onto the scene in the mid-80s and ‘stole’ work opportunities from creators who carried DC and Marvel through the Silver Age of comic books. The reasoning behind this was simple: comic books were changing, readers were changing, and the industry was changing. Established writers from the 60s and 70s were having a hard time keeping up with the demands of the then-current pop culture zeitgeist, which prompted companies to find writers that understood how to connect to current readers.

It's no different today, yet DC has fallen behind in this way while Marvel has been stacking their talent pool with a diverse group of younger writers whose voices have raised up the company's marketshare and earned critical accolades. DC still has Bob Harras, who likes to hire his friends who all happen to be middle-aged, worked at Marvel in the mid-90s under Harras, and who now produce only echoes of their most popular work.


** SPOILERS AHEAD **


Scott Lobdell spent 20 issues of Superboy trying to make the character's concept new and exciting, and only succeeding in driving the Boy of Steel into the ground. Nothing was the same, and that was a problem. This new Superboy shares no similarities to the pre-relaunch one other than his Kryptonian DNA harvested from Superman, and the title of 'Superboy'. Quite frankly, it was maddening, and if you look back at old entries I've written on issues of Superboy, you'll find a consisten pattern of frustration and anger.

Justin Jordan takes over with Superboy #20, and even though he's inherited yet another ridiculously convoluted Scott Lobdell excuse-for-a-plot, this is the best issue of the series to date, hands down. And it's because Jordan moves away from what made Lobdell's runs o frustrating: valuing action and lore over character and organic plot flow. Even though he's appeared in two issues prior to this, I really had no concept of who Dr. Psycho was until this month. Perhaps it was designed that way, but history shows that Lobdell tended to forget what he started or tried to mask the fact that he didn't have an ending by awkwardly segueing into some new story.

Superboy #20 is great because it feels natural. I wasn't a fan of Jordan's work on Team 7, but that was less about his style and more about the series' base premise being somewhat underwhelming. Here, Jordan finds a voice for Kon-El that makes him come across as a real person and not just a prop in an ongoing narrative that feigns a greater purpose, yet never delivers. A line like "Now I'm pissed. I don't have enough clothes to waste them like this." is so much better than a character thinking this sentiment within the ever-constraining thought balloon.

Scott Lobdell often fails at writing good comic books because he's trying to hard to make everything accessible/easy to read/pick-upable. It attempting to cater to everyone, he caters to no one because how he writers is condescending to readers. Justin Jordan's style is a breath of fresh air and a welcome change for Superboy, who still has one of the foggiest and least-memorable origins of any 'New 52' character. Now, I actually want to read Superboy.

GRADE

8.5/10

Teen Titans #19

(w) Scott Lobdell and Tony Bedard     (a) Eddy Barrows

I don't even know where to start.


** SPOILERS AHEAD **


What a mess of an issue. Seriously. Was Scott Lobdell just trying to throw everything that came into his head directly into Teen Titans #19? It's got the full team (minus Skitter, whom I'll remember but Lobdell certainly wont), plus appearances by Psimon, Raven, Beast Boy, and the evil demon, Trigon. Yes, it makes sense for Raven to be floating around seeing as she's Trigon's daughter, but beyond that, nothing in Teen Titans #19 has any semblance of cohesion.

Let me back up.

The ONLY good part about this issue is the revelation that Wonder Girl's father is none other than Lennox from the pages of Wonder Woman. It makes sense, and it finally makes a decent connection between Cassie Sandsmark and the Olympians. But it's only one panel, and it's not really a revelation because Cassie can't see Trigon's imagination. So basically, the audience now knows who Cassie's father is (if you've been reading Wonder Woman and shame on you if not), thereby achieving some fairly freshman-grade dramatic irony.Oh-la-la. Also, Scott Lobdell's inexplicable obsession with inner monologue is tempered quite a bit by Tony Bedard's co-scripting. Thank you, Tony.

Now let's talk about the bad.

First, we get a guest appearance from Beast Boy after the events of The Ravagers #12. For those of you who haven't read that particular issue, don't worry; it hasn't been released yet. So basically, disregard Beast Boy because his inclusion is based on events that haven't technically taken place yet, and he's not all that important to the story anyway.

Next, let's talk about Psimon. He's was a B-list villain (at best) before the 'New 52', but now, he's more like a flunky because Scott Lobdell has turned him into a sniveling, angst-ridden teenager who gets pouty when everything doesn't go his way. I suppose in an unintentionally metafictional sense, Psimon is a great interpretation of a teenage super villain, but that doesn't change the fact that he's just an asshole and all I wanted to do was get past any time he was in-panel. Oh, and there's a part where Beast Boy and Psimon battle until their powers "cancelled each other out" which makes no sense because one has mental psychic abilities while the other has physical shapeshifting. In what world do those two things coincide? My brain hurts.

None of this is to mention Scott Lobdell's dialogue, which I (think I) know is his because it's so much more awkward sounding than the stuff Bedard wrote. Like when Kid Flash is a huge prick after saving Superboy and says, "The words you're looking for are 'thank' and 'you'!" It's a minor complaint, but when has Kid Flash ever used more words than necessary? He's a speedster that gets things done quickly. Or the gem from Raven; "Why do humans visit such harm upon their children?" Well, first off, that's terrible diction. Visit? Sure it works, but it just sounds really dumb. And that's not even taking into account that fact that humans, technically, really didn't do any of this to these kids. It was Harvest, REMEMBER?!?!?! So why is the human race being judged?

Teen Titans #19 is another issue of terribleness from Scott Lobdell. Tony Bedard's co-scripting helped out, but there's little to be achieved by putting duct tape on a giant engine made of random parts that barely works and is constantly on the brink of completely falling apart.

Oh, and Red Robin is still being a huge dick for no reason whatsoever.

GRADE

3/10

Teen Titans #18 (mini review)

(w) Scott Lobdell     (a) Eddy Barrows

Holy God. 

Seriously. 

Words might not be enough to describe just how much I loathe Scott Lobdell's Teen Titans. The man has single-handedly decimated years of amazing character development from Geoff Johns and others that made the Teen Titans one of DC's best books. 

Teen Titans #18 is so full of terrible, I basically stopped reading after the first half. It took everything in me to continue reading, and I was upset the entire time. Nothing about this issue is good. Tim's super awkward semi-psychotic breakdown over Damian Wayne's death is just god-awful. He just yells at a nonexistent Damian before Alfred finds him hugging nothing. If I were Alfie, I'd be calling Arkham.

Then we get the weird reuniting of the Teen Titans wherein Superboy continues to act like a complete dick to the surprise of no one. What did surprise me was that Scott Lobdell, once again, felt it necessary to reference N.O.W.H.E.R.E. It's infuriating to see that terrible acronym pop up yet again for no reason whatsoever. Get over it, Lobdell.

None of this is to mention the inclusion of the Suicide Squad. Why? Just because. Deal with it, apparently.

And isn't Red Robin supposed to be possessed by the Joker or something? I don't know. I'm so far beyond hoping or believing that Scott Lobdell can write a coherent story I just don't know what to do.

I am counting the days until Justin Jordan's debut issue on the series because it seriously could not be any worse than this steaming pile Scott Lobdell calls his work.

GRADE: 0/10

mini Reviews (Mar 13-19, 2013)

---------- mini DC reviews

Demon Knights #18

(w) Robert Vendetti     (a) Bernard Chang

Demon Knights #18 suffers from being the penultimate issue to Robert Vendetti's first run of the series -- Cain's invasion of Themyscira has been built up so much already that emotional drama is the only thing going for the Demon's Knights this month, and it's just barely enough to satisfy. While I thoroughly enjoy Vendetti's character development, the plot stalls terribly and that accounts for the dragging feel throughout the issue. Moments after Jason Blood and Xanadu are finally reunited, a simple miscommunication gets blown out of proportion, causing Jason to throw a temper tantrum and hide out in Hell. The final pages set everything up for next issue's explosive battle between the Amazons, Cain's army, the Demon's Knights, and Vandal Savage's horde, raising the anticipation significantly.

GRADE: 7/10

Batman and Robin #18

(w) Peter J. Tomasi     (a) Patrick Gleason

Robin is dead, and Peter J. Tomasi offers up the most haunting and emotional depiction of Batman's grief in Batman and Robin #18. As a silent issue, the "writing" has to come through the art, which is does so in spades -- every action, every moment in this issue is framed by Batman's emotions and that comes through over and over again. Patrick Gleason's artwork is simply incredible, which is to say he seems to have stepped it up even more beyond his already phenomenal monthly work -- the close up of Batman's frown conveys so much in one panel. It makes sense that Batman and Robin would be the most emotionally impactful of the Bat-titles, and Tomasi pulls it off with aplomb.

GRADE: 9.5/10

Superboy #18

(w) Scott Lobdell, Tom DeFalco, and Tony Lee     (a) R.B. Silva

With Tony Lee on dialogue, Superboy #18 is a noticeable step up from the past...every issue of Superboy. Now that all that "H'el on Earth" stuff is over and done with, Lobdell, DeFalco, and Lee take Kon-El back to Manhattan to take responsibility for stealing all those millions of dollars from a bank back around issue ten or so. While much of the writing is still very cringe-worthy -- like the retelling of Superboy's origin that seems to be a permanent fixture in any issue of the series -- Lee manages to make the most of what he's been given and makes Kon-El more relatable than he's been thus far in the 'New 52'. The back-up story featuring Krypto the Superdog falls flat because, unlike Superboy in general, there's no context for Krypto's appearance let alone his actions; hopefully it's building into something more substantial.

GRADE: 6/10

The Week in Revue (Mar 13-19, 2013)

------- Spotlight

Age of Ultron #2 of 10
(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Bryan Hitch

------- DC Reviews

Batman #18

(w) Scott Snyder     (a) Greg Capullo

Green Lantern Corps #18

(w) Peter J. Tomasi     (a) Fernando Pasarin

---------- mini reviews
Demon Knights #18

(w) Robert Vendetti     (a) Bernard Chang

Batman and Robin #18

(w) Peter J. Tomasi     (a) Patrick Gleason

Superboy #18

(w) Scott Lobdell and Tom DeFalco     (a) R.B. Silva


------- Marvel Reviews
Wolverine #1

(w) Paul Cornell     (a) Alan Davis

Uncanny X-Men #3

(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Chris Bachalo

---------- mini Marvel Reviews

Secret Avengers #2

(w) Nick Spencer     (a) Luke Ross

Thor: God of Thunder #6

(w) Jason Aaron     (a) Esad Ribic

The Week (Feb 13-19, 2013)

------- Featured Review

Uncanny X-Men #1 PREVIEW

------- DC Reviews

• Batman #17 - Death of the Family Finale!
• Demon Knights #17

---------- mini DC reviews

• Katana #1
• Superboy #17

------- Marvel Reviews

• Fantastic Four #4

---------- mini Marvel reviews

• Avengers Assemble #12
• Powers: Bureau #1
• X-Treme X-Men #10

EXTRA! EXTRA! (JAN 16-22, 2013)

All-New X-Men #6

(Bendis, Immonen)

After a five-issue opening salvo, Brian Michael Bendis begins his second arc with All-New X-Men #6 by focusing on Jean Grey and Cyclops as they each start to adapt to the modern day through trials by fire. For Jean, those trials involve dealing with her newfound powers, while Scott discovers a completely new world once he drives off the school grounds with Wolverine's motorcycle. Bendis does an excellent job playing Jean and Scott off of Kitty Pryde and Logan respectively -- Kitty teaches Jean a psychic cool-down technique Jean taught Kitty years ago, while Logan begrudgingly tries to be civil toward a young Scott Summers fearing for his safety because of something he hasn't done yet. I was worried, early on, that Bendis wouldn't be able to sustain All-New X-Men beyond the shock value of the original five X-Men being in the present, but he's proved that there's a lot that comes with being time-displaced amongst your future self, and that's what's going to keep this series alive for a long time.

GRADE: 9/10

Batgirl #16
(Simone, Benes)

I mentioned in my review of Batman #16 that "Death in the Family" is getting a bit long in the tooth, and that fact is quite evident in Batgirl #16, an issue that not only grasps at Joker straws for plot advancement, but also calls into question the entirety of Joker's actions in general. Joker explains to Barbara (after saying it to basically everyone else in one form or another) that Batman's allies are his weaknesses and the only way to make him stronger is to eliminate those weaknesses -- so Joker decides to kill the others and...marry Batgirl? The whole idea is cool from a theoretical standpoint, but the concept of Joker wanting to maim and wed Batgirl is just kind of silly; there's no real reason for Joker not wanting to simply kill Batgirl, and the inclusion of James Gordon Jr. is the only thing that kept me reading, as he was obviously the wild card that was injected to make a rather mediocre "DotF" tie-in worthwhile. I like Gail Simone, but her event crossover issues have just not been that good, and it all comes to a rather uninspired conclusion here in in Batgirl #16.

GRADE: 5/10

Demon Knights #16
(Vendetti, Chang)

Demon Knights #16 moves forward 30 years to reconnect the Demon Knights with each other once again to take on an impossible task: defeat the monster Cain before he can reach the island of Themyscira and turn the Amazonian population into his unstoppable army. Every member of the original team is imbued with some sort of agelessness, except for Al-Jabr, who has built a grand city of innovation in Spain, though has grown old as well. Robert Vendetti does an exceptional job catching up readers to the current status quo without giving too much away (what's up with Ystin and Exoristos' relationship going all sour?), as well as making the issue accessible enough for new readers to be able to understand who these characters are and why they're together. I've heard rumor that Demon Knights is next in line to be cancelled, and if that's true it would be a real shame because Paul Cornell -- and now Vendetti, as well -- has built up such an amazing a focused vision of DC's history.

GRADE: 8/10

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #16
(Kindt, Ponticelli)

It's the final issue of Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E., which is sad because it's such a great series, but it's good because it means Matt Kindt and Alberto Ponticelli poured their all into issue to send the series off in good fashion. "The Monster Bomb" really doesn't differ much from the Creature Commandos' normal missions -- they're tasked with stopping a dirty viral bomb from being dropped on Central City by a terrorist cell known as The Plague -- so it's Karl Martin's parallel story that makes the issue more interesting. Martin's testimony to his superiors as to the legitimacy of monsters running around a major city land him a forced leave of absence to help deal with his delusions of a shadow organization employing cliche monsters to do in hours what federal organizations do in years. Matt Kindt decides to play it up for this series finale, giving us two sides of the same story and offering a more relatable situation that also acts as a way to bow out with dignity.

GRADE: 8/10

Indestructible Hulk #3
(Waid, Yu)

Slow-burn is the name of Mark Waid's game with Indestructible Hulk -- he has been taking deliberate steps to frame Bruce Banner's new designation as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., allowing the idea of the Hulk being an employee of an international peacekeeping/espionage organization to sink in a bit. That being said, Indestructible Hulk is moving a little too slow at times, and the action sequences are few and far between; case in point, this month's issue only really has one big fight scene, and it's over in a matter of panels. I'm predisposed to like Waid's Indestructible Hulk purely based on what I've seen the man do with other characters, but I'm worried there might be a lot of self-fulfilling prophecies and writing to expectations instead of what's good.

GRADE: 7.5/10

New Avengers #2
(Hickman, Epting)

If high-concept, science-saturated, ethically-complex storytelling isn't your cup of tea, New Avengers is going to be your least favorite series of the year -- Jonathan Hickman packs so much into New Avengers #2 that it might take you more than a fair share of rereads to understand what's really going on. Because Earth seems to be the constant incursion point in a chain reaction of imploding universes, the Illuminati gathers to discuss how to deal with the rapidly approaching end of all existence without resorting to killing other worlds to save our own. Mister Fantastic, Dr. Strange, Black Bolt, Namor, Captain America, Black Panther, and Iron Man all have their work cut out for them as they must keep the multidimensional apocalypse a secret, and also because one of the flash-forwards might possibly have revealed the origins of the coming Age of Ultron! Hickman and Epting have developed a stunning series with this new volume of New Avengers, and it's only going to get bigger and better.

GRADE: 9/10

Superboy #16
(DeFalco, Coello, Pinna)

There are really not adequate words to describe how bad Superboy #16 really is; aside from the lazy art and completely nonsensical plot points, Kon-El's personality goes through wildly changing iterations, Flash's internal monologue is some of the stupidest I've read in months, and "H'el on Earth" has become more confusing as opposed to more clear, which is what a story is supposed to do the farther along it gets. Throwing the Justice League into this issue is a blatant play for sales of a book that's simply bad -- Kon is basically just the League's pawn this issue, and their overall plan to use his telekinesis to overpower H'el's forcefield around the Fortress of Solitude is so dumb it's laughable (and Batman admitting he doesn't know what to do?!?! WHY TOM DEFALCO? WHY!?!?) There's really not a whole lot to like about Superboy #16, whether you're coming in as a new reader intrigued by "H'el on Earth", or you're a regular buyer who keeps up with the book. It boggles my mind as to why DC is so flippant with how they're handling their flagship teen hero and making him a cardboard cutout of a protagonist in order to pump up a severely fractured and uninteresting story.

GRADE: 2/10

THE WEEK (JAN 16-22, 2013) [update]

For all you regular readers out there, I want to apologize for not updating very much last week. It was a busy, stressful week that only got busier and more stressful with each passing day. It all culminated with a 5 1/2 hour drive to Washington D.C. on Sunday and the same drive back on Monday. With that being said, I'm ready to get back on the wagon and bring you as many reviews as I can this week! Enjoy!


FEATURED REVIEW
Savage Wolverine #1
(Cho)
Frank Cho tackles one of the two Wolverine titles for 'Marvel NOW!', taking the X-Men's most dangerous member to the Savage Land for some good old animalistic fun times! I mean, it's Wolverine and Shanna the She-Devil vs. dinosaurs? Count me in.

Batman #16
(Capullo, Synder)
I really hope DC keeps Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo together on Batman for as long as possible because that pairing is just a dream. Early reviews already call Batman #16 not only a turning point for "Death of the Family", but also an excellent use of a villain that's recently become a little over-exposed.

Batman and Robin #16
(Tomasi, Gleason, Gray)
It's Batman vs. Robin! Last month, Peter J. Tomasi left us hanging with a Joker venom-infected Batman coming after the Boy Wonder! Who will win? Joker, obviously. Because the villain always wins right?

Captain America #3
(Remender, Romita Jr.)
A lot of people aren't feeling Rick Remender's Cap' after all those years with Ed Brubaker, but I've thoroughly enjoyed both issues so far. I've always been a fan of John Romita Jr.'s artwork, and Remender's Dimension Z epic is just that: epic.


Indestructible Hulk #3
(Waid, Yu)
It's Hulk's first mission as an official Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.! What could go wrong? Mark Waid is just one of the best writers currently working, and Leinil Yu's amazing, beautifully chaotic artwork just makes the book.

Saga #9
(Vaughan, Staples)
There's not a whole lot to be said about Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples' amazing Saga that hasn't been said about a thousand times. But I'll try because I love it so much.

Threshold #1
(Giffen, Raney)
Spinning out of the events in Green Lantern: New Guardians Annual #1, "The Hunted" begins as Jediah Caul is tuck in the Tenebrian Dominion with a giant target on his head! While I really wasn't impressed with "Threshold #0" in GL:NG Annual #1, I'm more interested in Giffen introducing DC's space-faring heroes, as well as Larfleeze's back-up story written by Scott Kolins!

Extra! Extra!

All-New X-Men #6
(Bendis, Immonen)

Batgirl #16
(Simone, Benes)

Demon Knights #16
(Vendetti, Chang)

Frankenstein - Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #16 - Final Issue!
(Kindt, Ponticelli)

New Avengers #2
(Hickman, Epting)

Superboy #16
(DeFalco, Silva)

REVIEW: SUPERMAN #15

(w) Scott Lobdell
(a) Kenneth Rocafort

One of the biggest identifiable problems with the 'New 52', thus far, has been consistency in characterization between titles. Often, a character will act a certain way in a team setting, and a completely different way in his or her solo title. Unfortunately, both Superman and Superboy are at the top of the list when it comes to broken character development. Superman as portrayed in Action Comics has been vastly different from the Superman seen in the eponymous series and Justice League. Similarly, Superboy is written as an emo kid just trying to figure it all out in the pages of Superboy, but here, in Superman #15, Scott Lobdell has turned Kon-El from an antisocial basket case into a cheesy kid sidekick who wouldn't be out of line saying something like, "Aww, shucks, Superman! What're we gonna do now!?"

Superman #15 really stretches the whole "He'l on Earth" tie-in label because H'el does not show up at all. We get to see him in two panels, in flashbacks, in the background both times. It's not out of line to want to have some sort of interlude that deals with side issues, but Lobdell basically uses the entire issue to focus on Lex Luthor. And really, it's for no reason at all. Superman claims that he's come to Luthor looking for help, but in reality, as Lex puts it, "You would have figured out H'el's plan the instant he made his way into the fortress and got his hands on the artifacts you keep there." So why does Superman take the time to visit good old Lex? He's there to make himself angry. H'el is the most powerful adversary Superman has ever faced, and now he needs to give himself motivation to take on this new threat with everything he has. Beyond his meeting with Luthor, Clark seems to be taking a rather militant and stoic approach to his relationship with Superboy, speaking in short, curt sentences and generally not being very helpful before scolding Superboy like a father figure.

Now let's talk Superboy. Why has he turned into a Boy Scout all of the sudden? For over a year, Kon-El has done nothing but disregard orders, chastise those of authority, and generally do whatever he wants. Now, because Superman has lent him the Kryptonian armor for medical purposes, Kon has turned into some weird 1950s version of himself. "Man you are hardcore!", uses only four words to disassemble an air of sophistication Superboy has been trying to build since he first woke up in Superboy #1. Then "...if we're trying to get H'el the hell out of our your house, what the heck are we doing here?" reminds me how little regard Lobdell has for the green line when writing in MS Word. From a literary standpoint, there's no reason to craft such awkward sentences. 

Don't even get me started on, "You're still recovering from H'el nearly splitting you genetically in two". The first of the two examples could just have easily read as, "Why are we here if we're trying to get H'el out of your house?", while the second example could quite effortlessly be revised as, "H'el nearly ripped you apart at the genome, and you're still recovering." These obviously aren't the only ways to rewrite these sentences, but it just shows how easily good grammar and effective syntax can be.

Superman #15 is an interesting read if you're curious about Lex Luthor in the present day. Other than that, Superman and Superboy are not written as themselves, and it's very off-putting. As much as I disagree with how Kon-El has been handled up to this point, it's even more frustrating to see all the character development go out the window in the name of a shaky crossover. I usually like Kenneth Rocafort's artwork, but here, even his beautiful pencilling gets dragged down by the weight of the dialogue. For an event that's felt rushed and half-asked since it started, Superman #15 hits the brakes hard and provides more of an interlude than anything else. It's not terrible, but there's simply not a lot going on.

GRADE

6/10

EXTRA! EXTRA! (DEC 12-18, 2012)

Batgirl #15
(Simone, Benes)

While Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's main "Death of the Family" storyline is a vehicle for a much scarier and focused Joker, the model of car seems to be different depending on the title you're reading--last week's Batman and Robin #15 was incredible, but while this week's Batgirl #15 adequately conveys the story, it falls flat more than once. It feels like Gail Simone really doesn't know what to do with Barbara and the Joker together besides dredge up Barbara's feelings of anger and rage, which wouldn't be out of the question normally, but this is supposed to be the sort-of king of all Joker stories (in recent history, at least), and I supposed I just expected more from Simone after a poignant and suspenseful 14th issue. Also, a lot of what was set-up last month in Batgirl #14 doesn't really move forward so much as stays stagnant while the Joker waxes poetic about the hardships of life; not the most interesting use of panel space, but not totally boring. If you ignore the flashback scenes (which I'm sure will be important down the road, but show no indications of being so here), Batgirl #15 is a passable issue that builds upon the greater "DotF" narrative, but only a little bit.

GRADE: 7/10

Fantastic Four #2
(Fraction, Bagley)

After a fun and energetic first issue, Matt Fraction effectively hits the breaks this month and gives readers yet another full issue of build-up to the Fantastic Four's voyage into multidimensional space that's just kind of boring. As well as Fraction writes, it's a bit off-putting to see such utilitarian use of dialogue and narrative--Ben Grimm screaming at Yancy Street seems over the top, Reed and Scott Lang's scientific discussion has no emotional core, and the origin of Darla Deering as a member of the Fantastic Four is very, very weak. Obviously, things pick up next issue, as Reed launches his family into a portal at the end of Fantastic Four #2, but it's just annoying to have to wait yet another month to see Marvel's First Family on their ridiculously awesome adventure. A 'slow burn' story isn't bad, but this issue just feels like filler.

GRADE: 7/10

Green Lantern Corps #15
(Tomasi, Gleason)

"Rise of the Third Army" is becoming more and more of a misnomer because none of the GL titles are actually dealing with the rise of this Third Army, and Green Lantern Corps is a prime example--instead of focusing on the Corps fighting this monstrous parasitic force, Tomasi is focusing on Guy and John exclusively, giving them more personal stories when they should be at the front lines of this incursion. Yes, I know, the Guardians are sneaky and all that, but we're talking about GUY GARDNER, who normally doesn't take crap from anyone, and JOHN STEWART, who's got years of military experience telling him something is wrong. Yet, I like Green Lantern Corps #15, and the story of Guy and his family is told extremely well, it just feels superflous and unnecessary--why do I need to know so much about Guy's father (he's been in three issues so far)? The Third Army seems less like a universe-threatening force and more of an annoyance off in the corner of the of narrative, and if that's how it's supposed to be unfolding, then it's doing so in a clunky and unbecoming manner.

GRADE: 6/10

Iron Man #4
(Gillen, Land)

Things are looking better for Iron Man (not literally, as Greg Land's artwork is pretty underwhelming), as Kieron Gillen puts Tony in his 'Heavy' armor this week for a trip to France to find yet another illegal Extremis virus. Deep in the catacombs of Paris, Tony must fend off a legion of Extremis-infected women who've been stripped of their personality and humanity, effectively making them mindless killing machines. Tony's ethical dilemma over killing people who are effectively dead already is a testament to Gillen's ideals, but the concept struggles to come across smoothly, and the entire issue suffers from a lack of emotional depth. I'm a big fan of Kieron Gillen, but Iron Man has been fairly disappointing since it's fantastic first issue.

GRADE: 6.5/10 

Superboy #15
(DeFalco, Silva)

"H'el on Earth" hasn't been too understandable, so far--H'el himself doesn't have much of a backstory beyond claiming he was Jor-El's assistant, the narrative has been somewhat choppy and fragmented, and the three members of the Super family seem to have weirdly different personalities depending on the title you read. Fortunately, Superboy #15 hits all the right marks by focusing on Superman and Superboy while leaving H'el out of the picture until the very end. The main point of this issue is to show Superboy effectively inheriting Superman's Kryptonian armor, as it's the only thing that can possibly save Superboy's life after H'el's fatal beating. While I still despise Tom DeFalco's inner monologue for Superboy, the narrative is a lot stronger this issue than in Superman or Supergirl, and that's saying a lot for a series that's struggled to find it's footing since day one.

GRADE: 7/10

THE WEEK (DEC 12-18, 2012)

FEATURED REVIEW
Cable and X-Force #1
(Hopeless, Larroca)
Debut issue! Cable is on the run from the Uncanny Avengers with Colossus, Domino, Dr. Nemesis, and Forge along for the ride.

Avengers Arena #1
(Hopeless, Walker)
Let's hope this isn't a complete rip-off of Battle Royale or The Hunger Games...wait...there's no way it can't be. The premise is the EXACT SAME THING. Plus, even if this was a new, inspired idea, I can't imagine fans of the characters in this book are going to be too happy to see them cut down one by one.

Batman #15
(Snyder, Capullo)
"Death of the Family" continues now that Joker has revealed that he knows the true identities of everyone in the Batman Family.

Batman and Robin #15
(Tomasi, Gleason)
While the last two months were revealed to be a plot by the Joker all along, "Death of the Family" kicks off proper this month in Batman and Robin.

Fantastic Four #2
(Fraction, Bagely)
While FF is going to be my primary Fraction title going forward (not counting Hawkeye, which I will read regardless), Fantastic Four is set to start their year-long/four-minute journey through multi-space, and I'm just pumped to see how ti unfolds.

Green Lantern Corps #15
(Tomasi, Pasarin)
"Rise of the Third Army" trudges along this week with Guy and John facing an increasingly violent Guardian Army. We still don't know why John was tasked to reconstitute Mogo if that would help the Corps...whatever.

Extra! Extra!
Batgirl #15
(Simone, Benes)
"Death of the Family" tie-in issue!

Demon Knights #15
(Cornell, Chang)

Iron Man #4
(Gillen, Land)

Superboy #15
(DeFalco, Silva)
"H'el on Earth" tie-in issue!

REVIEW: TEEN TITANS #14

(w) Scott Lobdell and Fabian Nicieza

(p) Ale Garza

"The Origin of Wonder Girl" has been my favorite arc of Teen Titans so far, mostly because it's the first story to actually resemble a 'putting the team together' aesthetic. While this should have happened in the first...you know...arc...it didn't because it was constantly being overshadowed by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and the perceived deep integration with Superboy. Now, readers are finally getting some back story on the members of the Teen Titans, starting with Wonder Girl and the Silent Armor.

Last month, I explained how much I enjoyed Fabian Nicieza's writing for Teen Titans #13 and that if things kept going the way they were, TT could really grow into one of DC's best series. And while last issue took two steps forward, TT#14 takes one step back by moving Nicieza from sole scripting duties to being a co-writer with Scott Lobdell. It's a little frustrating to see Lobdell's spin on an arc that I've loved up to this point. Thankfully, it seems Nicieza put the nix on frequent thought balloons and stiff inner dialogue, though, so it's not nearly as painful to read as some of Lobdell's earlier issues.

A large chunk of Teen Titans #14 is focused on the team members themselves, which is a far cry from Lobdell's plot-only writing style. Solstice gets a visit from a mysterious phantom-esque character named Lance who claims to be able to alter metagenes and help Kiran regain her human appearance. I found myself wondering if this was Kurt Lance from Team 7, then a small editors note mentioned I should check out Birds of Prey for some insight into Lance's identity. Meanwhile, Red Robin and Superboy have to accept that Wonder Girl is going to live with the Silent Armor, something that casts a pall across the three of them, while the rest of the team jokes about their sour attitudes.

The final pages of the issue lead directly into next month's "Death of the Family" tie-in issue. Teen Titans is slowly, but surely, getting better. N.O.W.H.E.R.E., Harvest, and "The Culling" were all meant to be factors that would add to the Teen Titans mythology and lend meaning to the creation of the team. Instead, Lobdell botched the entire storyline early on, never fixed it, and now has to dig his way up toward a better book. It's working, but each month I find myself worrying that the title will dip back to it's former platitudes.

GRADE

7.5/10

REVIEW: SUPERBOY #14

(w) Tom DeFalco
(p) RB Silva

Alright. Here's the situation -- the 'New 52' Superboy has become so dull and drab for me that I'm pretty much done with it. I've been holding onto the Boy of Steel's series because, to be frank, I used to really like Superboy as a character. His origin and personal motivations were so much different and unique from almost any other hero in the DC or Marvel universe. Once upon a time, Superboy had to learn how he fit into the world by actually trying to fit in, he used to want more from life than just satisfaction in proving emotional misgivings. These days, Superboy has been reduced to the comparable importance of a stage prop -- there's no personality behind his vacant eyes, no longer does he want to be a functioning member of society, and his overall attitude is just unbecoming.

I've commented before about Superboy's seemingly erratic judgements between right and wrong. In Superboy #14, Kon-El finally manages to be the biggest dick he can be by whining about not having any friends or close relationships, then bluntly pushing away those attempting to be the friends he needs. After accosting Jocelyn Lure -- a woman claiming to be from the future, come back to look out for Superboy -- Superboy ditches her (for reasons that might be completely justifiable, but I'll never know because that whole story happens in Legion Lost, which I don't read...thanks, DC) and flies off to his apartment where he finds fellow Teen Titan Bunker waiting for him. Instead of being a normal person, Superboy immediately accuses Miguel of breaking and entering. The least insufferable Teen Titan kindly reminds his asshole teammate that they had plans to hang out and that it was, in fact, Superboy who had made the gaffe by forgetting.

And I haven't even mentioned H'el yet.

Thus far, the only time we've seen the (I assume) rogue Kryptonian is at the end of Superman #13, which was a prologue to the "H'el on Earth" event. There, H'el is only on the last page, and he doesn't even interact with Superman or Supergirl. Here, in Superboy #14, Tom DeFalco apparently assumes we all just know who H'el is, why he's doing what he's doing, and what he can do powers-wise. Seriously, I have no idea how DC or any of the creative teams working on "H'el on Earth" could possibly think it was alright to just throw readers into the deep end like this. Granted, the fight between Superboy and H'el is awesome, but there's no context to it, so it's just frustratingly confusing. I couldn't help but wonder the entire time how this all came to be. How did H'el find Superboy? Does this issue take place before, after, or concurrently to Superman #13? Why does H'el seem to have green TK powers, but keeps on insulting Superboy and his TK powers? Why were the Teen Titans even included in this issue if H'el was just going to wipe them away with a single attack?

This is an issue of comics embroiled in the non-explained. That's a ridiculous, weird sentence because it's the only way I can think to express how terrible Superboy #14 was by the end. I keep holding out, hoping that Superboy will improve, that it will become something greater than a sad excuse for a story about a sad clone. 'Sad Clone' sounds like a witty, off-beat, and zany mini-series by Grant Morrison, not the theme to a series about Superboy.

GRADE

3/10

THE WEEK (NOV 14-20, 2012)

FEATURED REVIEW
All-New X-Men #1
(w) Brian Michael Bendis
(p) Stuart Immonen
Brian Michael Bendis' tenure on X-Men books starts here with All-New X-Men #1, chronicling the time-displaced original five X-Men as they come to the present and learn to cope with the world post-AvX. BMB did wonders for the Avengers, so hopefully he can do the same with the X-Men.

Batman #14
(w) Scott Snyder
(p) Greg Capullo
"Death of the Family" continues this month as the Joker attacks Alfred! Already, "DotF" seems like it's going to involve Joker pushing all of Batman's biggest buttons. It's all deliciously sadistic. Scott Snyder is absolutely tearing it up with Batman.

Fantastic Four #1
(w) Matt Fraction
(p) Mark Bagley
Matt Fraction is one of Marvel's best writers currently, and his FF prologue story in Marvel NOW! Point One promised amazing things from Marvel's first family and their substitutes. Also, Mark Bagley is just a phenomenal artist.

Green Lantern Corps #14
(w) Peter J. Tomasi
(p) Fernando Pasarin
Another of DC's events continues this week with "Rise of the Third Army" in Green Lantern Corps #14. So far, only GLC and Red Lanterns have come face-to-face with actual Third Army drones, so I'm excited to see where this issue goes.

The Phantom Stranger #2
(w) Dan Didio
(p) Brent Anderson
I'm definitely in the minority in my love of Dan Didio's The Phantom Stranger. It's a campy book through and through, and Didio doesn't shy away from this premise. This month, Pandora makes a guest appearance!

Superboy #14
(w) Tom DeFalco
(p) RB Silva
"H'el on Earth" starts here! We got to see H'el briefly at the end of Superman #13, and now he's center stage to take on the Boy of Steel! We know -- through various back-stories and #0's -- that Krypton once had a clone problem. How will that play into H'el's interactions with Superboy?

X-Men Legacy #1
(w) Si Spurrier
(p) Tan Eng Huat
Destined to be the black sheep to Bendis' All-New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men, Si Spurrier's X-Men Legacy will focus on the late Professor Xavier's son, David, and his uncontrollable, reality-altering powers.

Extra! Extra!

Batgirl #14
(w) Gail Simone
(p) Ed Benes

Demon Knights #14
(w) Paul Cornell
(p) Bernard Chang

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #14
(w) Matt Kindt
(p) Alberto Ponticelli

Thor: God of Thunder #1
(w) Jason Aaron
(p) Esad Ribic

X-Treme X-Men #6
(w) Greg Pak
(p) Paco Diaz