Flash #0 Review
Rating: 4 / 5
Pros: Manapul's art; Manapul's script; a feast for the eyes
Cons: Still waiting for Wally West
Francis Manapul is quickly becoming my favourite double threat as writer/artist. His art may be considered "cartoonish" by some when in comparison to the crisp and often photo-realistic work of Ivan Reis or Alex Ross... but, god, his dynamic panel layout and page designs are a thing of beauty. The flow he creates is like a little ballet of colour and form. One scene sneaks into the next, seamless, without flaw. His art is thankfully continuing to break boundaries in the major comic book industry (... but the boundaries which have already been pushed by the independent publishers for years).
By playing both roles as writer/artist, I believe this is a great benefit to clearly actualize his vision, and aid his captivating, non-linear story-telling. Past and Present jump back and forth... just like out own consciousness does. No one stays in the present without memories or influence from the past... especially someone with the lightning-fast thoughts of the Flash. Manapul accurately portrays this. In fact, I feel this is one of the most honest first-person portrayals of a character I have since in ages.
I loved this issue. We got enough background. We got enough secrets (...so his costume is a weird shrinking metal?). We got just a bit more mystery (...so his costume is a weird shrinking metal?). Some more about his family (... but I'm already tired about his father's did-he-or-didn't-he murder mystery). And unfortunately there is still no Wally West, we are introduced to Daniel West instead. Dan Didio had previously made the comment off-the-record that in the new 52 Wally would be considerably younger than his last apperance... and that they would introduce him eventually, at the right time, at the appropriate age. So it could be years before we see him. I'm fine with that. I can wait a little longer... if only to get more familiar with good ol' Barry Allen.
And I can't get enough of Manapul's "DC Comics Presents... the Flash"... which was used for great effect this issue with the arrival of the new hero to Central City.
Justice League Dark #0 Review
Rating: 4 / 5
Pros: Constantine and Zee as a couple... kinda; the first appearance of the coat
Cons: Formulaic third wheel character
More than anything, this series has been about John Constantine playing around in the world of "super-heroes"... as opposed to the mucky-muck world of Vertigo. Fittingly enough, this zero issue is about him... and certainly less about the other mytics and misfits keeping him company these days. I've honestly been waffling with how I feel about this series. The more I want to not like it (as a fan of Hellblazer), the more new and interesting tidbits and storylines develop. I keep thinking "This will be my last issue", but I can't help but be drawn back to the next. Kudos to Jeff Lemire for his intriguing characters and satisfying mix of super-hero genre & the dark abyss of Vertigo magic.
When we are introduced to a young Constantine here, you could tell he was just a punk who was up to no good. A hooligan looking for trouble... but he had a softer side. He still wanted to make the world safe, I guess, unfortunately he wanted to also play around with the darkest of magics. His depiction in the first panel threw me... "Where's the coat?"...I mean, you can't have John without his quintessential outerwear. In time, though, we were able to see the growth of Constantine as he sheds his dark graphic t-shirts, moves toward the shirt & tie...and after we have forgotten about his young, punk-ish roots, we climatically see the source of his coat.. and the old familiar character we have known and loved for decades has emerged.
Nick Necro was a bit of a basic good guy gone bad. Maybe not the most original character... but he at least played an important role in the development of both Zee and John. (Just dreaming here, but I'd love to see him come back Johnny Sorrow-style one day).
I'm glad that John's relationship with Zee is explored more thoroughly.... but more significantly, there is the revelation that her father, Zatara, was more than just a fancy stage performer who lightly used real magic to solve crimes. Zatara was apparently secretly a knock-down badass magician holding back the dark forces trying to burn down civilization. More of that, please. Likewise, I'm intrigued to see where the typical cult of the Cold Flame guys will show up next.
Disappointed not to see any mention of ARGUS or the Black Room (if only in the shadowy background of the events from this issue). Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe ARGUS shouldn't be meddling too much in John's life. Personally, I'm still having difficulty connecting the "Justice League" part of the title with a group "led" by John Constantine. He may not act based on a sense of "Justice"... and he certainly doesn't fit well in any "League". What this issue may solidify is that maybe what he brings to the team is that intimitable sense of the "Dark".
Savage Hawkman #0 Review
Rating: 2 / 5
Pros: Joe Bennett
Cons: Rob Liefeld
To date this whole series has follwoed a scattered path of missed opportunities... or rather, ruined opportunities. With a chance to make Hawkamn a substantial and thoughtfully-developed force for good in the DC Universe, he has been jumping back and forth between unfinished storylines and inconsistent characte portrayal.
Rob Liefeld's plot and script still leave a lot to be desired. I'm not certain if he himself knows where this will be going, ssince he doesn't play itn he realm of grand epics. I wonder if he's taken a whole new approach to the character of Carter Hall/Kata Hol... by drawing on all the confusing elements that have plagued this character for the last several decades. The new 52 was a way to start over this whole controversy... wipe the slate clean... but in 12 issues with Tony Daniel's attemtped (mis)guidance now with Liefeld's pen, we are right back where we started after the Crisis of Infinite Earths. Is he human? Is he alien? Then what did he burn in that first issue? If Carter had (the tired, overused, day-time-soap-opera plot device of) amnesia, who was the dead Shayera mentioned in the first issue?
I am a fan of the writing approach of "show, don't tell"... which is nto what we see here. The amount exposition and revelation in this issue is mindboggling. Liefeld is a big supporter of revealing every little inconsequential tidbit about the character (see Deathstroke #0). This easily removes the reader from the action and impaits tha ability to have empathy for the characters. There is no emotional connection with this Thanagarian past, or who is the rightful king, or who is fighting who. Telling the story as if it were a shopping list does not create an environment for pathos. It creates disinterest... and unfortunately makes it harder to establish that conenction later on. This issue was just another missed opportunity
I understand the benefit of the addition of a writer who may not be completely familiar with the subject, and the advantages that a fresh eye can have on a long standing character... but I wonder if Liefeld did any investigation into Hawkamn just to know which storylines and faults to avoid? If he did, he has now writen the complete opposite of what would have been recommended by other writers... but especially the fans.
On the other end of the spectrum, Joe Bennett's art is crisp and dynamic. A lot of action and impact with his panel flow. His detail of the Hawkman outift is pretty good. Joe Bennett is keeping this series afloat... his art is the smoke and mirrors hiding the poor writing of Rob Liefeld. A lot of flash and sparkle to keep the reader distracted from the formulaic plot devices and unoriginal one-dimensional characters.
Geoff Johns has to come back to Hawkman and work his magic.
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