Superman: Year One

Frank Miller, the godfather of the 'Year One' storyline, gives Superman the long overdue treatment in this deluxe sized Black Label tale. In other words - this very well could be an imaginary story. But I'd be totally fine with it being turned into canon.

The childhood story of Superman doesn't really change. His Kryptonian parents, knowing that their planet is doomed, ship baby Kal-El to Earth in hopes of becoming humanity's savior. Raised as Clark Kent by Kansas farmers, Kal-El learns the difference between right and wrong while forging a friendship with Pete Ross and a budding romance with Lana Lang.

Once Clark graduates high school, the origin changes. For the first time ever, in Act Two, we see Kent joining the Navy in hopes of learning what it means to be human while finding his place in this world as a god among men. Clark's romance with the mermaid Lori Lemaris takes an unusual twist with the Kryptonian becoming the ruler of Atlantis, after defeating her father in combat.

It appears that Frank Miller is really going to challenge the established legend of Superman by having him become a super-powered Aquaman. But that's all but forgotten in the final act; just as Clark's relationship with Lana becomes nothing more than a memory by the time he finishes basic training. When Superman meets Lois Lane in a great twist on their first appearance in the crashing helicopter trope, the very young Man of Steel just gives up his life in Atlantis, enrolls in journalism at a nameless University, and becomes an intrepid investigative reporter at the Daily Planet. 

This is not a 365 day year in the life of Superman. It's more of a series of snap shots in the first 25 or so years of life of Clark Kent. This makes for some inconsistencies in the plotting, a ton of forgotten friends and family, and an ending that didn't feel like the end. I wouldn't be surprised for a Superman: Year Two to be announced sometime in the future. Though this book is from 2019, so our chances of that might be dwindling...

As for John Romita, Jr.'s artwork, it too was inconsistent. But it's actually something that works in his favor. In my late 40s, I understand that when you have a career that involves your hands, arthritis and age are your worst enemies. Jr.Jr.'s art has really suffered over the last decade. But when he shines, he really shines here. There were several pages that I spent a long, long time marveling at his dynamic drawings. Powerful renderings. Amazing angles. Kick ass action. It helped improve my rating for this book that feels in desperate need of a director's cut edition.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Should Eldritch Horrors Be Forgot (Santa Saves Christmas, Book II) by Ben Wolf

The Santa Saves Christmas trilogy ends with the inclusion of Atlanteans and characters from the mind of H.P. Lovecraft. 

Thanks to the many time portals and fractures left open during Santa's battle with Father Time, ancient Atlanteans are coming through a wormhole in the Caribbean wing of the Atlantic. Along with their arrival, the ruins of Atlantis are rising to the surface, causing catastrophic flooding around the globe. Called in by the United Nations to assist in negotiations with the king of Atlantis, Santa Claus and old friend Vladimir Putin seek to find a peaceful way for all races to coexist without sending a large chunk of dry land into the bring deep. 

However, all chances for peace are off the table when a new object begins to emerge off the coast of Australia: the evil elder God, Cthulhu! As nothing in the present day is able to defeat the Eldritch horror, Father Time's predecessor, the Time Raptor travels through time and the multiverse to assemble a ragtag team of warriors, assassins and a dragon or two to defeat the ancient evil once and forever!

Yes, the mystery character that I've been trying to not spoil in my previous two reviews of Ben Wolf's Santa Saves Christmas series is Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Since all 3 books were written before Putin began his lengthy and seemingly endless assault on Ukraine, he's sort of like an anti-hero. He's bad and has done evil things, but he's also willing to save not only Christmas, but his beloved Russia from countless crises. Plus it helps to have the leader of the largest country in the world in order to gain unprecedented access to top secret technology or to get your foot in the door of the UN Building.

Should Eldritch Horrors Be Forgot was my least favorite of the trilogy. I still liked it. It just that it really felt like Ben Wolf was being really self-indulgent here. They're be these scenes where a character, very tongue in cheek would reply 'Who writes this stuff?' Once was clever. Twice was an inside joke. But at a pace of about once every 3 chapters felt really out of place; especially since neither previous book did this.

Something Ben Wolf adds at the end of each book is a 'shameless plug' in which Santa and other characters rave about the author's other works. At about page 200, one of the new characters brought over by the Time Raptor, was using a weapon that sounded really familiar. Yet, it's not something from What The Frost? or It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Raptors. So I grabbed my copy of this book and headed into our office and consulted Amazon. Sure enough, all of these new characters are from other books written by Wolf. Thus, the author wasn't just being immoderate. He was also giving readers a clue about how his other works tie-in.

I'm not sure if some of Ben Wolf's other books are my cup of tea. Many are more fantasy heavy for my taste. However, his standalone Western, Unlucky, about the gunslinger Dalton has peaked my interest. 

Also, thanks to my Amazon research, I discovered that there's a new book in the Santa Saves Christmas series. It's digital only. However, it promises to address the elephant in the room with the presence of Putin in these books. Especially as Russia's current political situations has made their president's role in these books a little more troubling. hey, I've got something to look forward to next Christmas reading season!

Lastly, I got to talk about my favorite character in the series, the cowardly but entrepreneurial Snoot. I almost replaced him as my favorite character with Putin of all people because he got ultra slimy. (Also, if an author can make a sadistic tyrant likable, he must be a good writer.) Snoot now has a girlfriend in the Uber rich business woman Gen. They're obviously having a physical relationship. But Snoot kept making everything with her about sex, even when she's trying to help save the world. It got as annoying as Wolf's love of having every character respond to Snoot's comments with eye rolls. Folks can show disgust in other physical ways.

Thankfully, Gen puts Snoot in his place before the book's end. Hopefully, we'll see a little more character growth in the online book and hopefully further adventures of Santa saving the world. Just take it down a notch with the repetition. I would hate for a great thing to become stale.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Man: Quantum Quest! ( Family Comic Friday)

My local library surprised me with this brand new Spider-Man all ages graphic novel. Debuting in January of this year, I totally missed the previews on this book. While it's touted on the cover as a Spidey team-up with the Fantastic Four, the wall crawler actually works in conjunction with over a dozen heroes from the Marvel Universe!

The story begins with the Fantastic Four, joined with the ruler of Atlantis, Prince Namor, asking for assistance from Spider-Man. The underwater kingdom of Atlantis has disappeared. Mr. Fantastic thinks someone has shrunk the realm. Prince Namor believes that his kingdom has been stolen. Since Spidey is really good at finding stuff, the FF ask him to find a missing talisman that could help in returning Atlantis back to it's rightful place.

In Spider-Man's search, he ends up in the microscopic Quantum Realm, where it turns out that several of his friends have become trapped. Now Spider-Man must find a way home for heroes such as Ant-Man, Moon Girl and the Sensational She-Hulk along with that magic charm and probably Atlantis as well. It will be a topsy-turvy quest for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man readers of all ages will not want to miss!

Written and illustrated by Mike Maihack, this graphic novel was almost perfect. The art was clearly aimed at kids, but it had a nostalgic charm mixed with style elements of many of the characters looks in the MCU. The writing was clever and fun. Maihack threw out all the stops to make this an interactive book, including a 'Where's Waldo' style list of hidden things to search for throughout the story. (That Hulk plushie was nearly impossible to find!) There's even an extra scene after the entire book is done- just like you'd expect from a Marvel movie! Then there's the ending...

It's a freaking cliffhanger! I hate cliffhangers. Especially if I don't have the next chapter/segment. Comic book experts bemoan that the next generation of readers are not buying comic books to the degree that the previous couple of generations did. Critics warn that a new wave of comic book collectors is in danger of never materializing. If you ask me, putting a cliffhanger in books aimed at young readers is a massive misstep in trying to lure new young readers.

The next book, which is actually volume 3 in the 'A Mighty Marvel Team-Up' series is set in outer space. It promises to include many of your parents and grandparents favorite cosmic heroes. Plus, there's Jeff the Shark! You can't get too upset over a cliffhanger when that diminutive land shark is involved.

Recommended for readers ages 6-9. I think younger readers will love this book, especially if read with assistance by an older sibling or relative!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Mera: Tidebreaker (Family Comic Friday)

Borrowing pretty heavily from the 2018 Aquaman movie starring Jason Momoa, Mera: Tidebreaker is a young adult graphic novel from DC's woefully short- lived DC Ink imprint. If you're expecting the traditional princess Mera from a water filled extra-dimensional world, you better stick to Silver Age floppies. Here, Mera is still royalty. Only now her kingdom of Xebel is subject to the rule of Atlantis. Betrothed to a prince she does not love, Mera seeks her own path, which she hopes is like that of her dearly departed mother: as a fierce warrior and benevolent ruler of her people.

In order to win her father's favor, Mera heads to the surface world in order to locate and kill the fabled exiled prince of Atlantis. Mera immediately finds him. Only Arthur Curry is nothing like she expected. He's kind, generous and just so gosh darn handsome. As Mera waits for the perfect time to commit regicide, she finds herself falling for the Atlantean as Arthur has no idea about his underwater heritage. Now with agents of her father coming to the surface in search of Mera, the princess of Xebel must decide to follow her destiny or her heart.

Tidebreaker was a good story that could have been great. Writer Danielle Paige, crafts a classic love story between the children of two rival kingdoms and she executed it with a totally modern interpretation of the Aquaman mythos. I didn't feel like Paige didn't do her homework in writing this teen graphic novel. She deftly digs into the rich history of these DC icons. It's only that the formula seemed off-kilter. 

There's very little humor. Okay, don't think there was any humor. Lots of melodrama. A fair smattering of drama. Lots of romance. Some action and adventure. Yet, any character that you'd feel might be a potential source of comic relief just isn't funny. Plus, things are pretty tame in a book recommended on Amazon for readers in grades 7-9. Yet then 3/4th of the way through this book, Paige throws in a fairly big swear. Not an F-bomb. But also kinda unnecessary based on how smoothly things had been since that and thus after. It's those little quirks that throw a perfectly good read off balance. 

At least I cannot complain about the art. In fact, Stephen Byrne actually manages to fix a pet peeve I have about photo-shopped artwork. In a few scenes, instead of drawing different characters that look uniform, the artist copies and pastes the same image to make it look like a swarming army of underwater warriors. But instead of leaving them to all look the same like some artists have done to an annoying degree, Byrne actually tweaks each character to be just a tiny bit different from the rest. I appreciate such touches in modern day comics that tend to see artists taking sloppy shortcuts.

I also loved the minimal palette of colorist David Calderon. The fiery orange hair of Mera stands out in a book full of muted grays and an assortment of hues based on sea foam green. For someone like myself who has partial color blindness, the look works to great effect and was greatly appreciated.

This book debuted way back in 2019 when DC execs thought that Mera was going to become a film franchise darling. And she almost did for a while. That's until Amber Heard was essentially cancelled due to her explosive history with then husband Johnny Depp came to light in a scandalous defamation trial. Once Heard was all but removed from the 2023 Aquaman sequel, plans for Mera to lead the DC Universe as the next Harley Quinn went up in a poof of smoke. That's probably why this book ends with the promise of a sequel and yet 5 years later, we've got bupkis. It's almost indicative of the DC Ink and DC Zoom imprints. Both had such promise and then DC turned their back on it. Thankfully, their line-up of planned stories that seemed so amazing, still saw the light of day. Even if it has taken half a decade to see all those dreams become realities. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #121

It's the penultimate chapter of the Wolverine/Venom story. It's been 5 chapters so far and really not much has happened except for a lot of mutant and symbiote backbiting. 

Yet, we get this 8-pager starring a minor Atlantean character called Andromeda and more happens in that story that 40 pages of Wolverine and Venom plus another 24 pages of a really weird adventure seeing Ghost Rider assisting Cloak & Dagger!

In the Andromeda story, the warlord Attuma has once again captured Atlantis and is about to lead an assault on the surface world. With Namor nowhere in sight, Andromeda and a bunch of bourgeois Atlanteans get together and overthrow one of Attuma's warlords by unleashing the Kraken! Literally!

In the other 8-pager, the Native American member of the New Mutants Moonstar. Recently, Moonstar discovered that she's got some Asgardian gifts and abilities after a recent adventure in Valhalla. Wanting to make sure Moonstar doesn't forget her heritage, a pair of Native American deities seek to test the young mutant by guilting her into forsaking the world of the white man.

Why is it that the one shot stories seem to get more done than the supposedly way better flip-cover stories starring Wolverine and Ghost Rider? I'm glad I didn't pay full price for these books back in the 90s. I think I would have been so peeved by the crappiness of the main lead stories that I never would have finished the complete run. Thus, resulting in missing out on a lot of really good short stories starring characters that I never would have known even existed.

Here's to Marvel doing an amazing job on its lesser known properties with a lot of up-and-coming talent. I just wish this extended over to the heavy hitter stuff.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Aquaman #63 (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Dan Jurgens (Superman) begins a sweeping epic that chronicles the fall of Atlantis.

Things have come to a head with the island nation of Cerdia. Defying international law, the tiny country has waged an economic cold war with Atlantis that suddenly becomes hot. With his requests for aid rejected by the United Nations, Aquaman takes to the late night talk show scene in order to appeal to the public.

The TV appearance is set up to be a farce. But during a segment in which King Arthur is asked to talk to the host's aquarium fish reveals that a bomb is underneath the stage, things turn deadly serious.

Meanwhile, the underwater kingdom of Atlantis is in chaos. Dolphin, the bride of former Teen Titan Tempest, has gone into labor as an unknown force of aquatic behemoths made of living coral begins an attack on the kingdom. Alerted to the onslaught Aquaman and his contingent race back to Atlantis just in time to see Atlantis' volatile power core explode in a detonation of unspeakable destruction.

Unspeakable because that's where the story stops with a promise of more to come in next month's issue.

This issue was a thrill ride from the very beginning. The cover was penciled by the fantastic Michael William Kaluta (The Shadow). It shows Aquaman swimming among his deep sea friends as Atlantis gleams in all its glory behind him. In the immediate background, a pair of angelic mermaids bestow a majestic-looking Arthur Curry with a crown.

The interior art was penciled by Steve Epting (Captain America) with Norm Rapmund (The Flash) on inks. While on the surface, both Aquaman and Tempest are dressed in their royal finest; a simple black jumpsuit with splashes of color adornments made of shell, sponges and nets. The battle scenes are explosive, literally. And that opening scene of Aquaman atop his trusty seahorse, Storm surrounded by friends and foe alike symbolizing the glory days of Atlantis was awe inspiring.

The only downside to this issue is that I don't have the rest of the story. Looking at a DC database, this issue was the opening chapter of the final tale that would close out the 1992-2001 series run. But a quick search in Google shopping shows that most issues that round things out can be purchased for $4 or less. For $150 plus shipping, you can bid on some of the original artwork on this issue and issue #65. I don't think I wanna go that route. 

A fantastic voyage to the depths of the Atlantic ocean begins in this issue. Hopefully someday in the near future, I'll have the rest of the run in order to find out what happens next!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars

Completing this review completes Task #23 (Involving Water) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Aquaman (2018)

I closed out 2018 going to see the latest superhero flick, Aquaman. Starring Jason Momoa, it really felt like DC now has a working man's hero to look up to. Momoa's Arthur Curry is rude, crude, brash but he also possesses a deep sense of justice and honor.

Aquaman is the story of the bastard son of Atlantis. The spawn of a human male and Atlantean princess, Arthur Curry learns at a young age that he can communicate with fish. Early in Arthur's life, his family home is threatened by members of the royal guard. To save her half-breed child from execution, Arthur's mother Atlanna, played by Nicole Kidman, returns to Atlantis to submit to her forced role as wife and Queen in an arranged marriage.

Thanks to secret training sessions by a loyal member of Atlanna's, as Arthur matures, he learns to fight and defend himself. But the young man has no desire of becoming king. Instead, Arthur drinks, fights, and saves submarines from underwater pirates. 

Of course, you know that Arthur is going to become motivated to accept his destiny and become the true king of Atlantis. The job currently is held by Aquaman's half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson). As ruthless as his father, Orm seeks to become the undisputed ruler of the Seven Seas, known as the Ocean Master. Should he obtain the backing of the other realms of the deep, Orm can mount his long-desired war on the surface dwellers. 

To challenge Orm's claim on the throne, Arthur must go on a global quest for a missing trident. Aiding him in this quest is Orm's betrothed Mera (Amber Heard). Along the way, the pair will run afoul of villains, monsters and ancient wonders. There might even be a little romance on tap...

There's basically two movies in this 2 hour and 20 minute picture. The first half of the film, as Arthur learns more of his Atlantean heritage, is a visually stunning masterpiece. The special effects kick the butt of both 2017's Justice League and anything Marvel put out this year. The costumes, which utilize sea life to the literal gills, were also quite stunning. 

Aquaman should receive some Oscar nods for both FX and costume design. It had such a classic and yet futuristic at the same time. That first half set primarily in Atlantis, reminded me of an underwater Blade Runner. If the movie had stopped at the middle mark, I would have no qualms with the overall quality of the film. While the second half was good, it wasn't as great as the beginning. 

The main issue with Aquaman's second half is that what Arthur must do to defeat his brother seems like a deep-sea Indiana Jones movie. Unfortunately, that entire mission is laid out in a speech by one of the characters within the opening half hour of the movie. So much of the last hour or so of film was quite predictable. And with about 30 minutes left in the movie, I actually found myself getting disgusted with the predictable nature of superhero films. I'm also getting tired of the slow-mo action scenes, which DC films can't seem to break away from.

This doesn't mean that Warner Bros. doesn't have a winner in Aquaman. This film surpasses Justice League and one main reason is Jason Momoa. He was the most interesting character in Justice League and he doesn't disappoint in the least. In fact, the character of Arthur is a lot like Mike Myers' ogre, Shrek. You think he's going to be this redneck kind of character. Yet by movie's end, he becomes an onion. His character has layers!!!

Aquaman overthrows Justice League as well in that this movie has much better villains. Along with Orm, fans are also treated to Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Black Manta. There's an interesting Dread Pirate Robert's spin to Manta, who in my opinion has always been Aquaman's arch-enemy; not Orm! 

Here's my pros and cons with Aquaman. While a large chunk of the film is predictable and set out in front of the audience, it was an enjoyable watch. The acting was great and the villains were tons better than the overly CGI'd Steppenwolf of Justice League. The movie is total eye candy, but if you have vertigo, you'll need to bring a barf bucket with you. Between complete 360 degree chase scenes to the slower than snail pace martial arts, it will make you woozy.

Above all, Aquaman did something that I don't think very many comic book films have ever done: been extremely faithful to the comic books. True, Jason Momoa doesn't look like Mort Wessinger's blonde torpedo. But the costumes look perfect. The storyline is near flawless to the many Aquaman tales I've read. Plus, if you loved Aquaman's sonar ripples when he talked to fish on Super Friends, you will cheer by movie's end! 

Making me hopeful for what Warner Bros. has in store next year with Shazam and Wonder Woman 1984, Aquaman is proof there can still be great films about DC Comics characters getting made in today's Hollywood.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #2

    The origin of Arthur Curry/ Aquaman are revealed in this issue. The product of a human father and an Atlantean Princess, young Arthur is a generational prodigy, able to communicate with the creatures of the briny deep. 

  

  Now for a Pre-Crisis devotee like myself, this story isn't all that new. But, in the post-Crisis DC Universe, this is brand new stuff- as Aquaman's half-human roots were erased from continuity. In the New 52 and DC Rebirth, Aquaman is again half-human, half Atlantean. So, the roots of the New 52 Aquaman take to soil here in this dynamic issue.

    Emperor Aquaman #2 was a thrilling read with lots of great twists and turns. Plus, it's been great seeing the original Aquaman return after all these years. In my opinion, the reason Aquaman gets such a raw deal isn't because of lame superpowers or that he wears an orange suit. It's because from 1986-2010, the Aquaman of comics and cartoon fame was a mere impostor to the throne. The post-Crisis King of the Sea can't hold a candle to Arthur Curry!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies #1

   We've seen the beginnings of Atlantis's war with the surface. Now witness the origins of the Atlantis-Themyscira War in the pages of Wonder Woman and the Furies #1. Love lost, treason, deception, and murder. This issue has everything and a Kraken too!

    If you don't read Flashpoint in the order DC listed all of the tie-ins in the pages of Flashpoint #1 and #2, you'll be doing yourself a disservice. There are some many cliffhangers, crossovers, and shocking reveals that require reading everything in order for maximum effect. I've been doing pretty good job of that myself, with exception of a couple of mix-ups, and I must say that doing so has really blown me away with the level of quality and excitement in every book.
    Up until this point, this issue is perhaps my favorite of the bunch. The storytelling of Andy Lanning and Dan Abnett was spectacular. But really what did it for me was the artwork. Scott Clark's (Batman Incorporated) mix of CGI imagery of the landmarks of Altantis and Themyscira and swift pencil strokes crafting younger versions of Wonder Woman and Aquaman were stunning. And look this the cover by Ed Benes (Batgirl)! The level of detail put into the ruins of London are breathtaking. 
   Excellent Stuff!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint #1

  World of Flashpoint is an interesting addition to the Flashpoint tie-ins. While the other miniseries focus on a very small aspect of the Flashpoint universe, particularly a character or a city, World of Flashpoint gives a more global perspective to the numerous crises the leaders of the free world face in the midst of the Atlantis- Themyscira war. And it's all seen through the eyes of one young girl

    Eight months ago (prior to Flashpoint #1), life seemed very good for young Traci Thirteen and he family. She lived in Paris with her siblings and parents. Her mother has mystical powers and has been teaching Traci to use the powers she's inherited and Traci's getting quite good at it.

  Things seem perfect until one day, Traci and her father are teleported away to safety. As a result, Traci's mother, exhausted from her protective use of magic, cause her and Traci's siblings to become victims of Emperor Aquaman's tsunami which floods eastern Europe.

      Now living in Switzerland, Mr. Thirteen is a high-ranking world government official tasked with finding a way to end the combined Atlantean and Amazon threats to the planet. The only answer the governments of the world can decide on is the use of a massive laser that will destroy Aquaman and Wonder Woman's forces. But it will also mean the death of millions of innocent lives. With her father poised to push the laser's firing button, can Traci Thirteen prevent another massacre of innocents in time?

      This first issue was quite different from the other tie-ins. There's a ton of cameos from DC's B and C list of characters. Instead of being a dull issue, the insertion of minor DC characters only made the Flashpoint storyline seem all that more widespread and encompassing. I know everyone wants the comics they are reading to star Batman or Superman but it's the minor (but oh so familiar) characters that make a story like this stand out that much more. It's probably why Crisis on Infinite Earths is my favorite comic of all-time.

     Ben 10 Classics' Rex Ogle really did his homework including characters like Clarion the Witch Boy and China's Iron General in August in creative ways in this story. I can't wait to see who he recruits in issue #2. Featuring some pretty good (but a little too-much Rob Liefeld for my tastes) art by Eduardo Francisco (Assassins School) and Paulo Siqueira (Batman Eternal) this was a very good opening segment to a vital part of the Flashpoint storyline you must not miss!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four Vol. 6: Monsters & Mysteries

WORTH CONSUMING!

Marvel Adventures are just the best! Sure, there geared for Kids, but the cover says “All-ages”!

This volume has the FF solving a Whodunnit in Atlantis, Fighting a Skrull invasion by what could only be summed up as the only foursome dumber than the guys in “Tropic Thunder”, The Thing becomes the King of the Mole-people, and the group is sent back in time to met Rama-Tut.

 

 The Tut story is the best. Alicia gets her sight back and Thing finally gets an answer as to whether the girl would still love her if she wasn’t blind. Sadly, it all gets ret-conned at the end and the event never really happens (try explaining this all to my wife and watch her head explode.)