Review: The Phantom Stranger #5

(w) Dan Didio and J.M. DeMatteis
(p) Brent Anderson
(i) Philip Tan and Rob Hunter

If God is a DJ,
Life is a dance floor,
Love is the rhythm,
You are the music.

I'm not a fan of pop recording artist P!nk's music, but her 2004 single, "God Is A DJ", was one of those songs that was on the radio incessantly when I was in high school, and somewhere along the line, it kind of stuck with me whether I wanted it to or not. Same goes for Lenny Kravitz's "Again", Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It", the unfortunate Dixie Chick's cover of "Landslide", and the Creed songs, which I list as one entity because I can't tell them apart, only that they're Creed songs based on Scott Stapp's nasally vocals. But I diverge. I preface with this short diatribe about Ms. P!nk's single because the chorus for the song (shown above) is a rather amazingly, hideously perfect representation of what Dan Didio and J.M. DeMatteis bring to the table in The Phantom Stranger #5, an issue that sees the true introduction of The Spectre into the 'New 52', as well as plays around with cosmic entities like their action figures and consequences be damned.

Since it's 'Zero Issue' last September, The Phantom Stranger has been a sort-of look into the high cosmic happenings of the DCnU. Pre-relaunch, the Stranger was far more enigmatic, his true intentions and agenda never fully revealed. Earlier issues of the series have seen a Stranger with more clarity and focus than ever before, the introduction of fan-favorite Raven, as well as dealings with John Constantine and the Justice League Dark, amongst others. The Phantom Stranger #5 differs from previous issues because it throws subtly out the window and goes for broke to set up the highly anticipated "Trinity War" even though it doesn't have to.

Basically, Stranger believes the divine hand of vengeance, The Spectre, is to blame for the kidnapping of his family and their removal from the Earthly plane. Instead of communicating, Stranger and Spectre end up duking it out, and before they rip apart time and space, God himself (herself?) shows up to put them both in their place. Taking the form of a Yorkshire Terrier, God simply gives Stranger and Spectre a good scolding before telling them to play nice or else. Meanwhile, that's when the Question shows up at the home of Terrence Thirteen to get the Stranger's attention. 

This is where Ms. P!nk's song comes in. Dan Didio and J.M. DeMatteis are really playing fast and loose with god-like entities (and God itself) as if they are just like any other DC character. In the past, the sheer breadth of characters like the Phantom Stranger and the Spectre were regarded in a way that their core concepts stayed consistent even if their forms did not. In a way, it makes sense for these kinds of revelations to take place in a series dedicated to a member of the Trinity of Sin, but mostly, it feels like too much too fast. Part of what made the pre-'New 52' Phantom Stranger and Spectre great was that they were so mysterious, that not everything about them was known.

The Phantom Stranger #5 is a perplexing issue if only because it's such a drastic shift from the slow-burn of the previous issues to the rapid-fire storytelling seen in these pages. It's quite clear this series is starting the long journey toward "Trinity War", but it's doing so clumsily at this point and that somehow makes the entire endeavor feel a little less special. I don't want to have a bias going into DC's first 'New 52' major crossover event, so I'll take this issue's events with a grain of salt.

GRADE

6/10

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #0

STORY: Keith Giffen, Dan Didio, James Robinson, Rob Liefeld, and Tony Bedard
ART: Keith Giffen, Dan Didio, Scott Koblish, Tom Derenick, Marat Mychaels,

In true form, DC Universe Presents #0 offers an anthology of stories within an issue of an anthology series. Last May, DC cancelled six series to make way for the "Second Wave" of 'New 52' titles that included Earth 2, Dial H, World's Finest, Batman Incorporated, G.I. Combat, and The Ravagers. Some of these cancellations actually made sense - when a series didn't look to be going in any concrete direction - but some were canned purely for fiscal reasons. Either way, many of these titles gained a fan base, and DC wanted to do the cool thing and feature these characters left in the proverbial rearview mirror. With December solicitations out, the recently cancelled Captain Atom is featured in The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men, meaning DC seems intent on keeping these characters around, even if they don't have their own solo ongoing.

The first story is O.M.A.C., written and illustrated by former series regulars Keith Giffen and Dan Didio. I absolutely loved the adventures of Kevin Kho and Brother Eye - each issue was an homage to quirky, sci-fi books from the 60s and 70s that were about action and supernatural boogeymen. While this prequel story - "Origins Matter After Cancelation" - doesn't feature Kevin or his O.M.A.C. persona, Giffen and Didio take us back to when Brother Eye worked for Maxwell Lord and Checkmate. Mostly, Brother Eye gives Max an expository dump about how the satellite came to be and why. Of course, Max knows all of this, and info overloads normally make me cringe, this is Giffen and Didio's style for O.M.A.C., especially since this is only a short story intended to give more backstory that offers foreshadowing to future events. In that regard, it succeeds in spades.

Second at bat is James Robinson and Tom Derenick's Mister Terrific prequel. In essence, this short story reads just like the MT series - full of scientific jargon, quantum mechanics, and a willingness to let those two amazing elements do the heavy lifting. Especially in this story, wherein Michael Holt basically learns everything about his life by jumping through an uncalibrated portal technically linked to the Ninth Dimension. Robinson is careful to remind readers that this is one of many possible outcomes, leaving the door open for Michael's future to deviate from the visions of latter days. Of course, Mister Terrific can't be running around knowing his entire life's path, and Michael's memory is purged once he steps out of the malfunctioning portal door. I wish there was more about Michael Holt as a person and less foreshadowing for the future that only really served to clue in us readers. But for what it is, this tale does the trick.

I've never liked Rob Liefeld. Even in the 90s, I couldn't stand his artwork or his writing. It's one of the reasons I stuck to DC mostly during that era, and it's the reason I never got beyond the first issue of Hawk and Dove last September. Hawk and Dove is an example of a series cancelled because it was bad, plain and simple. The characters weren't engaging, the stories weren't interesting, and the artwork was classic Liefeld, which meant over-exaggerated everything. Liefeld smartly abjures the pencilling duties for this origins story, but it just makes his uninspired narrative all the more obvious. "Balance of Power" focuses on an argument between the celestial gods of Peace and War (how DC justifies their existence against the Greek gods in Wonder Woman is anyones guess) over the newest avatar of Peace, Dawn Granger. Similar to how Scott Lobdell info dumps on a regular basis in the pages of Teen Titans, Liefeld uses this debate between the gods as a means to give a character history. It's so damn boring! And it really doesn't even matter because I can't imagine DC is planning on reintroducing Hawk and Dove to any other book any time soon.

Next up is "Mother Machine", the origins story of the title's namesake, and prequel tale to Blackhawks, a series that could have been DC's equivalent of S.H.I.E.L.D. if they had handled it better. Unfortunately, there's not much to talk about concerning this story - beyond revealing that the Blackhawks participated in the battle against Apokolips' armies, this is all about Mother Machine coming to be. Everything makes a bit more sense now, as it's obvious Mother Machine came from an Apokoliptan Mother Box. The ending tagline says we'll see more of Mother Machine in the future, which could spell the return of Darkseid.

The final story about Deadman comes from Tony Bedard and Scott McDaniel, both of whom do a fantastic job telling the tale of Boston Brand's first mission of possession. In a cruel twist of fate, the goddess Rama sends Boston to save the soul of the man who murdered him. Of course, Boston rejects his task until he's forced back into the situation and winds up saving the day anyway. It's a telling moment for Brand, the moment he recognizes that his actions have consequences, not only for his own well-being, but also for those he's charged with helping. Deadman doesn't get enough page time in Justice League Dark, though I supposed I should be thankful he's a recurring character at all. Bedard's "Instant Karma" reminds one of why the first five issues of DC Universe Presents are still the best.

As a whole, DC Universe Presents #0 is a good read. As individual stories, the tales about O.M.A.C., Mister Terrific, and Deadman are considerably better than those about the Blackhawks and Hawk and Dove. Read them all, or just read the ones you want. It's kind of up to you when it comes to an anthology format such as this. I only read one issue of the "Challengers of the Unknown" arc because it just wasn't my cup of tea. But I jumped right back in with "Savage", then regrettably "Kid Flash". DC Universe Presents #0 is definitely worth the buy, if only for the fact that you get five stories from five different creative teams at a whopping 48 pages.

GRADE

B-

THE PHANTOM STRANGER #0

STORY: Dan Didio
ART: Brent Anderson and Scott Hanna

And just like that, The Phantom Stranger became one of my favorite series. While DC (I still say unjustly) cancelled the phenomenal Resurrection Man - a series rooted in classic, episodic storytelling that slowly built up a genuinely interesting character - it has replaced that series with tales of the Phantom Stranger in the able hands of Dan Didio, a man who wrote O.M.A.C. so well it was literally too good for most readers. Out of the pages of The New 52 #1, Didio brings us the exploits of the most enigmatic member of the "Trinity of Sin", and it is so, so, so good.

The Phantom Stranger was always a mystery. But unlike so many other characters shrouded in misdirection and facades, Phantom Stranger existed on his own level - his actions, his reasons, and his meaning were all unknown. He would appear seemingly out of nowhere, and act upon his own, unexplained predilections without notice. Truly, he was a stranger in a comic book universe where (almost) every character eventually gets a backstory, whether it's necessary or not. The Phantom Stranger fully takes advantage of the 'new' part of the 'New 52', offering a definitive origin, more fleshed-out character development, and an all-around kick-ass time.

Religious symbolism is an ample well for storytelling, and in the opening pages of The Phantom Stranger #0, it becomes pretty obvious that the Stranger was once Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Dan Didio deftly handles this symbolism, taking care to never mention either the Stranger or Jesus by name, but instead through Judas' suicide attempt and looming fate. "You are beyond forgiveness," a council of wizards explains to poor Judas (yes, a council of wizards. Though they all happen to resemble Shazam, suggesting a connection in future issues.) "Your greed has forever darkened the world." - it's enough to get the point across without sounding preachy. Didio understands that symbolism is just that: symbolic.

Judas is then cursed by the Band o' Wizards to wear a necklace made of coins, wear Jesus' robe, and walk the Earth for eternity until he's called upon again. While it seems like there's a lot to take in all at once, this is 'Issue Zero'. The whole point of the prequel issue idea is to offer a more comprehensive explanation of a certain character, in most cases through a look into the events that take place before the first issue. With The Phantom Stranger, we're literally given the entire origin of the character to the extent that we need it. Obviously, we don't need to know Judas' pre-judgement history because another book already took care of that. Didio tells us everything we need to know: who the Stranger is, how he came to be, why he does whatever he does, and where this series is going as it moves forward.

I was honestly quite skeptical of DC's "Third Wave", as two of my favorite series (Justice League International and Resurrection Man) were cancelled to make room for new titles. But after reading The Phantom Stranger, I feel better about the other three upcoming series. Dan Didio knows what kind of writer he is, and he recognized that his full-blown style (as presented throughout O.M.A.C.) was too much. For The Phantom Stranger, Didio reels in his bombastic style just enough to make the series more accesible to a larger audience without sacrificing the pulp and charm that make his writing so good.

GRADE

B

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL #1

STORY: Geoff Johns and Dan Didio
ART: Jason Fabok

It really is the end for the Justice League International. After a year of amazing stories, a slowly-expanding roster, and a death in the family, the JLI all but disintegrates before our eyes as Geoff Johns and Dan Didio bid farewell to one of DC's quirkiest titles. It came as a bit of a surprise when DC announced it would cancel Justice League International after it's Annual issue, especially since it wasn't a low performer like other cancelled series such as Mister Fantastic, Men of War, or Resurrection Man. For months, fans and critics have been speculating as to reasons why; was it to set-up a bigger event? Was JLI going to be relaunched under a different name? Was DC planning on revising it's number of monthly titles? We didn't have a lot to go on, and the editorial executives were staying tight-lipped. And this week, DC announced that Geoff Johns and David Finch would be starting a new series, Justice League of America. After I read the initial press release concerning JLA, I immediately knew why JLI was cancelled. It makes sense, on a certain level, to want to expand the 'Justice League' franchise without diluting the name itself. Justice League and Justice League Dark both have clear-cut plot-centric premises, while JLI told more character-driven stories. It really is a shame to see the series go, but Justice League International Annual #1 goes the book justice and sends the team off in an appropriately dour - yet potentially promising - way.

Annual #1 picks up a few weeks after the events of JLI #12, wherein Batwing resigned, the team fought the late Lightweaver's delusional brother, and the future of these characters rested in Batman's capable hands. Bringing the series full-circle, Booster's primary concern is now increasing the team's visibility and public image by way of impressing the United Nations by taking on dangerous missions around the globe. We drop in with our lovable band of misfits in Central Africa, where Guy Gardner is leading a squad against a vicious warlord named Aki Mukassa. As Batwing flies the violent revolutionary away from the riot below, the warlord activates a bomb and kills himself mid-air. The entire situation is symbolic of the JLI's status quo as the team that gets it done, but not very well. While the rest of the team is satisfied with saving numerous innocent lives, Booster is upset that the JLI couldn't hand Mukassa over to the UN.

The breaking point comes later, when Booster informs the team that he's expanded the roster by recruiting Olympian and Blue Beetle. "Where are Superman and Wonder Woman?" asks Beetle, which sends Guy Gardner into a rage that results in his resignation from the JLI. With Rocket Red already dead, as well as Vixen, Fire, and Ice in the hospital, it's as though Booster takes one step forward for every two steps back. He sees that their numbers are dwindling, and he does whatever it takes (a la lying to Beetle about the JLI's roster) to make his team better.

And while the first half of the book is really all about Booster and his insecurities, the latter half focuses on O.M.A.C., who becomes possessed by Brother Eye, the sentient satellite and computer program designed and built by Batman to observe and analyze every metahuman on Earth in order to develop defenses against them if necessary. Since the 'New 52' relaunch, it's been interesting to see what has survived the editorial culling and now exists in the ner universe - the events of Infinite Crisis aren't mentioned anywhere else in the 'New 52' (that I know of), so it could stand to reason the whole thing never happened, but that Brother Eye was still created. And just like in Infinite Crisis, Brother Eye's been hijacked! With a new 'programmer' calling the shots, Brother Eye takes complete control of Kevin Kho's body and mind as it attempts to destroy the JLI and re-upload himself to the satellite orbiting Earth. During the confrontation, O.M.A.C. (apparently) kills Olympian, then uses his overwhelming technology to send Blue Beetle back to the Reach, the alien society where Jaime's scarab originated.

There's a lot of action going on during the finale, but in the end, Booster Gold is the only one who's able to stand up to the brutish, unstoppable O.M.A.C. Using 25th century anti-virus protection, (easter-eggedly called the 'Skeets Protocols') Booster is able to stop Brother Eye's uplink to the satellite and separate Kevin from the O.M.A.C. programming that was making his life a living hell. Of course, this victory is short-lived as Booster Gold from the future-future comes back to warn our Booster of horrible things to come before he simply disappears, as if he never existed. Then suddenly, the same thing happens to our Booster Gold!

By the time we reach the final pages, the team is technically down to just Godiva and a heavily-injured August General in Iron. Rocket Red and Olympian are dead, Batwing and Guy Gardner have resigned Blue Beetle is on the other side of the galaxy, and Booster is deleted from time and space. Justice League International Annual #1 is not only the JLI's most exciting issue, but it sets up the next chapter of the collective 'Justice League' story very well. At the very end, Batman has a chilling conversation with his creation, Brother Eye: "Eye am home and eye will be waiting for my new programmer's signal. He is coming, Batman. And you will join him or die." recites Brother Eye as if from a script. The emotionless, yet highly sophisticated, Brother Eye looks to be the focal point of things to come. Perhaps in the same vein as Infinite Crisis, Batman's presumptuousness concerning other heroes became paranoia, resulting in some of the darkest days in DCU history.

GRADE

A+

(REVIEW) DC Universe Presents #6 "Challengers of the Unknown"

"Challengers of the Unknown" - Part 1

Written by Dan Didio and Jerry Ordway
Artwork by Dan Didio, Jerry Ordway, Ray McCarthy, Andy Lanning and Marlo Alquiza

Last month, DC Universe Presents finished up with Deadman's story, which was quite a satisfying one. This month, the book's second arc begins, highlighting the Challengers of the Unknown, a rather old DC trademark that has made a few appearances through the decades, but hasn't made much of a dent. Dan Didio - who's been working on O.M.A.C. up until now - does a great job reintroducing the mythology behind the Challengers and reinterpreting it for the modern age and the 'New 52'.

With it's new origins as a reality show gone wrong, Challengers of the Unknown (the show in the book) sends six celebrities and an archaeologist out with the show's host to brave the wilderness while simultaneously attempting to outwit the other players and 'win' the competition. Even from this first issue featuring the revamped Challs (as they're nicknamed throughout DC history), there's an obvious sense that the reality show premise is simply there to get these characters out into the unknown.

The story features Nanda Parbat - the mystical place where the revamped Jason Todd trained - as well as a giant ice monster that attacks the team as they attempt to escape the icy mountains via helicopter. It's action-packed and fun to read, both qualities of which have been exemplified by Didio over on O.M.A.C. The only problem with this introduction to the Challs is that we get very little actual background information of any character. Of course, Didio and Jerry Ordway have months ahead of them to establish this team as a part of the new DC universe.

GRADE:

B-