Justice League Dark #20

(w) Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes
(a) Mikel Janin and Vicente Cifuentes


** SPOILERS ABOUND **


Last month's "WTF" edict demanded that each title in the 'New 52' drop some big revelation or surprise somewhere in their April issue. For the most part, writers were able to organically integrate this concept into their current narrative. But for some, it felt very forced. Like Earth 2 #11's inclusion of Mister Miracle even though he wasn't actually part of the story at all. Or how the revelation that Eclipso was behind the scheme to destroy House Amethyst in Sword of Sorcery #7 was a surprise to no one who actually read the series. 

Justice League Dark #19 guest starred not only Swamp Thing -- which made sense, as Swampy is a Dark-themed character -- but also The Flash. Unfortunately, it was all of a one-page spread. This was an instance where the "WTF" moment felt very forced, like editorial knew Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes were gearing up to use Flash in Justice League Dark #20, and just wanted to make #19 all the more attention-grabbing, just for sales. But that's all just my own beef with DC higher management.

Justice League Dark #20 is a fantastic issue. I wasn't expecting it not to be, as Lemire and Fawkes have been delivering amazing issue after amazing issue for months now. I'm always just a bit skeptical of guest appearances that seem too good to be true; like Flash working with the JLD.

Barry Allen is unique in the 'New 52' as one of the only characters who is written so consistently across every title he's featured in -- the Flash is always his good-natured, generous, laid-back self, whichever book you're reading. That's rare these days as many writers simply use guest appearances as a plot device instead of deriving real character relationships from the experience. Barry isn't there just to be fast: He provides a significantly different perspective on how to be a hero. Even after John Constantine berates him in front of everyone else, he still stands up for the surly mage when his compatriots turn against him.

If you're not reading Justice League Dark, you should be. I know that's a cliche thing to say in comic book reviews, but hear me out. It checks off a lot of boxes on the "who would like this?" list. It's a supernatural series (1). It includes well-known heroes like Constantine, Deadman, and Zatanna (2). It's consistently one of the best titles DC publishes each month (3). It's an integral part of this summer's "Trinity War" crossover (4). Mikel Janin's artwork is superb (5). That's five good reasons to read this book.

GRADE

9/10

The Week in Revue (May 1-7, 2013)

Tempering down the workload this week (and going forward) in an effort to bring better quality reviews instead of a high quantity. 

This week, I'll be Spotlight-ing Gail Simone's The Movement, a 'New 52' series that introduces a whole slew of new characters into the DC universe. Along with The Movement from DC, I'll cover James Robinson's Earth 2 #12, which continues the "Tower of Fate" arc, as well as Swamp Thing #20, the second issue from rising star Charles Soule.

On the Marvel front, I'll take a look at Age of Ultron #7, the issue with the alternate heroes gracing the cover! AoU is shaping up to have huge ramifications for the entire Marvel universe. Also, I'll be covering Iron Man #9, the first issue of Kieron Gillen's fantastic series illustrated by Dale Eaglesham. Really, Greg Land's artwork has been the only truly bad thing about the 'Marvel NOW!' Iron Man, so I'm excited to see how Eaglesham interprets "The Secret Origin of Tony Stark".

------- Spotlight
The Movement #1
(w) Gail Simone     (a) Freddy Williams II

------- DC Reviews

Earth 2 #12
(w) James Robinson     (a) Nicola and Trevor Scott

Swamp Thing #20
(w) Charles Soule     (a) Kano

------- Marvel Reviews

Age of Ultron #7 of 10
(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Carlos Pacheco and Brandon Peterson

Iron Man #9
(w) Kieron Gillen     (a) Dale Eaglesham

mini Reviews (Feb 6-12, 2013)

------- DC Reviews

Normally, each issue gets four dedicated sentences, but because Animal Man and Swamp Thing interconnect on such a basic level, I've gone ahead and combined them in one, eight-sentence review that covers the entire "Rotworld: Finale."

Animal Man #17
(w) Scott Snyder & Jeff Lemire  (a) Steve Pugh, Timothy Green III, and Joseph Silver

Swamp Thing #17
(w) Scott Snyder & Jeff Lemire  (a) Andrew Belanger

This week, "Rotworld" finally came to a close with Animal Man #17 and Swamp Thing #17, a one-two punch finale that, unfortunately, succumbs to the law of diminishing returns and just doesn't feel all the satisfying after nearly two years of build-up. Even though the connections between Animal Man and Swamp Thing have only been official over the past six months, these series have been connected since issue one, and the threat of the Rot is starting to become a little long in the tooth. While nearly every other title in the 'New 52' has gone through at least two distinct story arcs, both Animal Man and Swamp Thing have been greatly decompressed to the point where it's hard to imagine either of these series outside their plight against Anton Arcane and the Rot -- when heroes start to be defined by their villains, you know something is wrong. "Rotworld: Finale" just doesn't live up to the hype Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire have been promising for what seems like forever now.

And the truth is, I don't really know why; Snyder and Lemire invested so much time, effort, and energy into crafting this massive crossover that would have lasting ramifications on these characters, yet in the final moments, it all comes down to something that's been in the equation since the beginning. I'm not a fan of "deus ex machina" situations like this where the answer has been sitting there the entire time because that kind of story betrays the intelligence of the characters and, by extension, the readers. I didn't dislike or hate "Rotworld: Finale" as a closing chapter of the ongoing Rotworld saga, but it's just not as explosive as I imagined it would be, and switching out Yannick Paquette for Andrew Belanger for Swamp Thing #17 was a mistake on DC's part because there's now a disconnect between the rest of the arc, which looks beautiful, and this final issue, which looks just passable. I'll continue to read both titles going forward, because Snyder and Lemire have amazing track records with them as well as their other work, but Animal Man #17 and Swamp Thing #17 both dropped the ball when it came to delivering a satisfying conclusion to the months-and-months long "Rotworld" narrative.

GRADE: 7/10 (Animal Man)

GRADE: 6.5/10 (Swamp Thing)


------- Marvel Reviews

Iron Man #6
(w) Kieron Gillen  (a) Greg Land

Kieron Gillen and Greg Land are taking Iron Man into space with "The Godkiller", a story arc designed to preface Tony Stark's membership in the newest iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as provide some proper aftermath to last year's Avengers vs. X-Men. For the most part, Gillen is having fun with Tony in space because it's a setting where the character doesn't have a lot of experience, which means his normal processes -- both on the job and at-play -- have to be adjusted accordingly. Iron Man #6 mostly takes a look at Tony experiencing the wonders of deep space by trying to hook up with a purple alien babe made to look eternally from the 80s by Greg Land. Being the first of only three parts, I expected a bit more plot-wise from Iron Man #6, but it's still an enjoyable issue that fulfills it's goal as a bridge between bigger ideas.

GRADE: 7/10 

THE WEEK (JAN 9-15, 2013) 1

FEATURED REVIEW
The Superior Spider-Man #1

Reviews
Action Comics #16

Earth 2 #8

Fantastic Four #3

Green Lantern: New Guardians Annual #1

Extra! Extra!
Animal Man #16

Stormwatch #16

Swamp Thing #16

Thor: God of Thunder #4

THE WEEK (DEC 5-11, 2012)

FEATURED REVIEW

Avengers #1
(Hickman, Opena)


REVIEWS
Action Comics #15
(Morrison, Morales)

Animal Man #15 & Swamp Thing #15
(Lemire, Snyder, Pugh, Paquette)

Before Watchmen: Minutemen #5 of 6
(Cooke)

Earth 2 #7
(Robinson, Scott)

Hawkeye #5
(Fraction, Aja)

Thunderbolts #1
(Way, Dillon)

Extra! Extra!
All-New X-Men #3
(Bendis, Immonen)

Amazing Spider-Man #699
(Slott, Ramos)

Iron Man #3
(Gillen, Land)

Stormwatch #15
(Milligan, Conrad)

EXTRA! EXTRA! (OCT 31-NOV 6, 2012)

A+X #1
(w) Dan Slott, Jeph Loeb
(p) Ron Garney, Dale Keown
(i) Danny Miki, Cam Smith, Mark Morales

I don't know why everyone keeps thinking A+X is tied to the "Avengers vs. X-Men" crossover as it obviously has a '+' sign, a symbol that's also commonly used in place of the word 'and', which means that in this series, the Avengers and X-Men are working together -- it's not a terribly complicated idea. A+X #1 does exactly what it says it will -- give readers two stories, each featuring one Avenger and one X-Man teaming up, written and drawn by some of Marvel's top talent. The first tale features Captain America and Cable, an odd pairing but one that's more fun than it sounds, especially with Dan Slott on writing duties. The second team-up comes from Jeph Loeb between Wolverine and the Hulk, a partnership that pays homage to Wolverine's debut as a Hulk villain -- it's not as good as Slott's story, but Loeb definitely intended this vignette to be the prelude to something bigger.

GRADE: 7/10

Justice League Dark Annual #1
(w) Jeff Lemire
(p) Mikel Janin

"War for the Books of Magic" concludes this week as series regulars Jeff Lemire and Mikel Janin take the Justice League Dark beyond their battle with Nick Necro and into the world of the unknown -- even for a series about magic. After surviving the crash landing of the House of Mystery, the team recruits fellow odd-man-out Frankenstein (Agent of S.H.A.D.E.) in their fight against Nick Necro -- Constantine and Zatanna's old mentor -- as well as the turncoat Doctor Mist and the ever-evil Felix Faust. Lemire goes all out in Justice League Dark Annual #1, giving readers the blowout, nigh-cinematic 'season finale' that again resembles many popular supernatural dramas littered throughout network and cable TV. And while the inclusion of Amethyst is just plain fantastic (in a fanboy sense), the real cliffhanger is the revelation behind the Books of Magic that throws everything we know about magic in the DCnU into question -- a great way to end an arc.

GRADE: 9.5/10

Swamp Thing Annual #1
(w) Scott Snyder and Scott Tuft
(p) Becky Cloonan

While I wasn't very keen on Becky Cloonan's artwork in Batman #12 -- I found it to be a bit more manga-style than my liking -- her work here in Swamp Thing Annual #1 is a marked improvement of her already well-stylized work; maybe it's that her more jovial techniques work better with a more lighthearted story, such as this one about the real first time Alec Holland met Abigail Arcane. Scott Snyder is joined by Scott Tuft for this story about a young Alec Holland making a trip to a pot-Soviet Carpathian Mountains in an effort to use his genius knowledge of botany to help bring vegetation back to a radiation-soaked landscape. It's here that Alec meets Abby for the firs time and their feelings for each other are allowed to grow. Snyder does a fantastic job giving readers the 'secret origin' of Alec and Abby's relationship, while also setting new groundwork for Alec's vendetta against the Rot in "Rotworld: The Green Kingdom".

GRADE: 8/10

THE WEEK (OCT 31-NOV 6, 2012)

FEATURED REVIEW
Aquaman #13
(w) Geoff Johns
(p) Ivan Reis and Joe Prado
Even though this issue got pushed back a week, I won't hold that against it. Aquaman #13 finally wraps up "The Others" and starts on the path toward the "Throne of Atlantis" crossover with Justice League starting in December. While this arc has been fun and interesting, it's really time for it to be done, especially after having to wait an extra month due to "Zero Month".

A+X #1
(w) Jeph Loeb, Warren Ellis
(p) Dale Keown
I was planning on making this 'Marvel NOW!' title the FEATURED REVIEW of the week before I remembered how difficult it was to pump out five paragraphs of writing focused on two very short stories in the pages of AvX: VS. A+X is basically the same premise - two stories, ten pages each, one Avengers and one X-Man - except this time the Avengers and X-Men are teaming up instead of whooping each other til the cows come home.

Action Comics Annual #1
(w) Sholly Fisch
(p) Cully Hammer
Grant Morrison takes a break and let's Sholly Fisch - regular back-up story contributor - take a crack at the main tale of Action Comics in this Annual issue. This story apparently takes place directly after the Brainiac events and features a villain known as the Kryptonite Man. Maybe he has some connection to Metallo? Maybe it's just a completely new character. Only Fisch and DC editorial knows!

AvX: Consequences #2-4
(w) Kieron Gillen
(p) Steve Kurth
I've been only somewhat impressed by Kieron Gillen's AvX: Consequences, mostly because it very much feels like a lot of the happenings in these pages could have easily been integrated into other Marvel titles. Instead, we get a weird anthology series that throws us multiple stories whose only connection is their timeframe. If we connected things like that in the real world, there would be no organization. At all.

Justice League Dark Annual #1
(w) Jeff Lemire
(p) Mikel Janin
It's the explosive finale to "War for the Books of Magic"! And it guest-stars new JLD team member Frankenstein, as well as Princess Amethyst from Sword of Sorcery! Lemire is such a talent, and adding Frank and Amy into the mix is just a deft move. I love this series the more and more I read it each month.

Swamp Thing Annual #1
(w) Scott Snyder
(p) Becky Cloonan
While this issue doesn't fit directly into the current "Rotworld: The Green Kingdom" arc, Swamp Thing Annual #1 does give readers an in-depth look at the origin of the rivalry between Swamp Thing and Anton Arcane. Maybe it's just me, but it often feels like Scott Snyder is just constantly jumping back in time to explain current events. This isn't bad when done sparingly, but Snyder seems to be over-saturating Swamp Thing with ghosts of the past, as it were, instead of building the character as he is now.

SHADOWY HAPPENINGS, VOL. 1 (OCT 3, 2012)

This is 'Shadowy Happenings', the (mostly) weekly column looking at DC's "The Dark" line of titles from the 'New 52'. Along with high-visibility titles like Swamp Thing, Justice League Dark, and Animal Man, i'll also be covering the rest of the series included in this category: Demon Knights, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E., The Phantom Stranger, Sword of Sorcery, and I, Vampire. This is the side of the DC universe even the regular superheroes tend not to tread.


Animal Man #13
"Rotworld: The Red Kingdom" Part 1 of 4
(W) Jeff Lemire
(P) Steve Pugh and Timothy Green II
(I) Steve Pugh and Joseph Silver

Swamp Thing #13
"Rotworld: The Green Kingdom" Part 1 of 4
(W) Scott Snyder
(P) Yanick Paquette
(I) Nathan Fairbairn

For the next five months, I may as well call this column 'Rotworld LIVE!' because both Animal Man and Swamp Thing will be fully entrenched in their respective Rotworld adventures at least through the first quarter of 2013. Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire have both insinuated that this is bigger than their respective titles - this is bigger, this is more. And that fact comes glaringly apparent in Animal Man #13 and Swamp Thing #13, both of which feature multiple guest stars fighting against the Rot.

Back in August, the "Rotworld Prologue" told us that Buddy Baker and Alec Holland descended into the realm of the Rot hoping to eliminate the decay at it's source. Unfortunately, Anton Arcane - the avatar of the Rot - had other plans, and the Animal Man and Swamp Thing were stuck in the world of death for over a year while the Rot spread rampantly across our Earth. It was a lot to take in - Snyder and Lemire are laying this out for the long haul. Buddy and Alec come out from the Rot (for what felt like only hours to them) to a new world. The Rot has already won; this is no longer a mission of preemptive measures, this is a quest to destroy the evil slowly strangling the planet.

In Animal Man #13, Buddy is forced to fight the Rotling Hawkman before being saved by Steel, Beast Boy, and Black Orchid (who looks to be a regular, recurring character now that she's part of the Justice League Dark). In Swamp Thing #13, it's Poison Ivy and Deadman that show up to lend a helping hand to Alec Holland. And in both titles, these guest characters begin criticizing their respective protagonists about being gone for so long. Both Buddy and Alex have to explain their situation to their newfound friends before being fully trusted.

If I have any complaint about the "Rotworld" crossover thus far, it's that Animal Man and Swamp Thing are mirroring each other too much. This month, both titles literally have the exact same set-up and pay off when Buddy and Alec reach the Red Kingdom and Green Kingdom, respectively. Both the Red and the Green - the power of the flora and fauna - have created physical strongholds on the Earthly plane to better stand against the spread of the Rot, and by the end of the issue, both the avatars have reached their kingdoms. I understand the need to cohesion, not only on a grand scale, but on a scale such as this, but this stunt takes things a bit too far. I don't feel like I read to separate comic book issues this week pertaining to "Rotworld". I mean, if Snyder and Lemire are going to stay so parallel, why not just combine the series for five month, have them travel together, and make it more exciting and high-stakes?

At the moment, "Rotworld" has been a lot of build-up. Both series have been at least foreshadowing this event since their first issues. A lot of time and effort has been put into this so far, but all into the 'prologue' part. Now is the time when we really get to see how "Rotworld" will pay off, from a narrative perspective. Unfortunately, "The Red Kingdom, Part 1" and "The Green Kingdom, Part 1" are such mirror images of each other that I wonder if all the hype has been worth it. Are these stories going to have the same narrative cues for the next five months? Because if so, I'll just read one series and get highlights from the other. It's no fun to read the same comic twice in a row (usually), but Snyder and Lemire and dancing dangerously close to the phenomenon of being uninventive, and that's not acceptable from two of DC's best writing talents.

STORY: B (AM), B (ST)
ART: A (AM), B- (ST)

UPCOMING REVIEWS (AUG 1-7)

Action Comics #12
(Morrison, Bryant)
- With Grant Morrison's announcement that he'll be leaving AC after issue 16, we now know that his sprawling, revamped origin for good old Superman actually will have a conclusion! This month, Morrison continues his tale of "The Forgotten Superman" as well as another back-up - this time featuring Perry White - that will again add more depth to Superman's world.

Animal Man #12

(Lemire, Pugh)

- Now that Buddy Baker and Alex Holland are finally teamed up, it's time to dive into the realm of the Rot. Unfortunately, this "Rotworld: Prologue" will mostly be a recap of the last year's events in both Animal Man and Swamp Thing.

Avengers vs. X-Men #9 of 12
(Someone, Kubert)
- As we enter Act III of Avengers vs. X-Men, the Phoenix Five's weakness has been revealed and Namor is down for the count! How will the the Scarlet Witch use her newfound ability to excise the Phoenix to turn the tides for the Avengers? I know this is completely out of left field, but as a Young Avengers fan, I want to see some Patriot, Wiccan, Hulkling, Stature, Speed, and Hawkeye II! Hey, a guy can dream.

Before Watchmen: Nite Owl #2 of 4

(Straczynski, Kubert)

- Last month, Nite Owl saw the first meeting of the group that would become the Watchmen, including the first team-up between Nite Owl and Rorschach. This month continues Dan Dreiberg's journey to prove to himself that he's worthy of the Nite Owl mantle.

Earth 2 #4
(Robinson, Scott)
- Now that we've been properly introduced, it's time to see Earth 2 Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl in action! Also, the Atom of Earth 2 makes his debut, along with more insight to the Grey and this universe's Solomon Grundy. James Robinson has stated that he intends to build up this world before putting the JSA together, and he's doing a fantastic job so far.

Justice League International #12

(Jurgens, Lopresti)

- It's the "Funeral of Rocket Red" as the team deals with the fallout of their adventures thus far. Seeing as this is the last 'official' issue in the run - not counting the Annual issue later this month - Dan Jurgens will be pulling out all the punches to send out this fantastic series in style.

Swamp Thing #12
(Snyder, Paquette)
- All DC has released for press info is that this issue "continues from Animal Man #12" which is just a recap. Hopefully, we'll get to see some actual action happen here. If both issues turn out to be a recap, a single review will be written for both Animal Man and Swamp Thing.

4-Sentence Reviews
- Dial H #4
- First X-Men #1 of 5
- Hawkeye #1
- World's Finest #4