The Flash #22 (The Button Part IV)

     The Button comes to close in this issue of the Flash. While Batman and the Flash hoped to find the source behind the mysterious button, instead the duo unlock another forgotten member of the DC Universe.
      The cover of this issue spoils who returns. But just what is his role and does this mean the return of the Justice Society- that's something you'll have to read for yourself to find out. 
       I knew that Chapter IV wasn't going to bring the Watchmen and the DC Heroes to a head. But I really didn't expect this story to end on such a whimper. The first 3-parts were great. This one didn't match the action and excitement of the previous chapters.
       I honestly don't understand why DC allowed such a big spoiler on both the regular and variant covers. Did DC want to avoid fans having a collective stroke if somebody let slip the return of Jay Garrick? It just seems like a bad decision if you ask me.

      Worth Consuming but fair less superior than it's predecessors. 

      Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Planetary #1 (After Watchmen...What's Next?)

A couple of years ago when the Watchmen film came out, comic book stores were giving away samples of similar titles. This was one of those reprint examples released under the banner: 'After Watchmen... What's Next ?' 

Here, a mysterious man named Winter is recruited to become a member of a clandestine team of metahumans. In their first mission, they discover what happened to a superhuman team that disappeared during World War II.

I liked this title. I was very impressed with the plotting and writing. The dialogue, while a little crude, was original and Warren Ellis didn’t dumb down to the audience. The art was very good and there were some impressive amounts of gore and action.

Not sure if I want to make this series part of my collection, but I wouldn’t mind finding additional stories at my library or trades for very cheap at a used book store or comic’s sale.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

   

The L.A.W. (Living Assault Weapons) #1 of 6

 

    When an ancient Hindu god banishes the JLA into another dimension and then uses his demon hordes to wipe out the combined military forces and remaining superheroes of the world, there’s very little hope for planet earth. Thus begins a new mini-series epic from DC Comics 1999. The twist is that what little hope for planet earth is in the form of 6 c-listers from the old Charlton Comics super hero line. Blue Beetle, Judo-Master, Captain Atom, the Question, Peacemaker, and Nightshade.

 Does this list of super-heroes seem a little strangely familiar to you? Well, they should because essentially the L.A.W. is what Alan Moore’s legendary macro-series Watchmen could’ve become if DC allowed him to use the Charlton characters as he originally wanted. Owlman was based on Blue Beetle. Doctor Manhattan was to have been Captain Atom. Silk Spectre was based on Nightshade and the Question and Peacemaker were the respective templates for Rorschach and the Comedian. (I’m not sure who Judo-master was supposed to be as the character that inspired Ozymandias isn’t supposed to be in this mini-series.)

   I am excited about the prospects of this series. I love the old Charlton super heroes as I remember reading some of their exploits in my dad’s comic book collection as a kid. I also like the fact that some of the original artists and writers from those Charlton books, such as Dick Giordano and Bob Layton have been recruited for this mini-series. Already, the art is great and the introductions of the characters is very good. In fact, I am now interested in reading more about the character Fate, who is used in a minor role to introduce Nightshade. To make a minor character that much more interesting and they’re just there to move a certain aspect of the plot forward speaks volumes of the talent of this book’s writers and artists.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Watchmen

NOT WORTH CONSUMING

I love Alan Moore, This is not, by far, his best. I did not like the gritty, graphic universe in which Richard Nixon is still president by 1985. The ending was pretty smart, except that the “bad guy” does the all-time cliché of all comics- a monologue, a 20 page monologue!!!

And what’s with Hooded Justice? Who was he what was the big mystery to his identity. I understood he was gay- but was that the big mystery or who in fact was under the mask? I thought it was the later.

And the Pirate comic inside of the comic- I didn’t get it.

Too many mysteries- if I wanted mysteries, I would have played CLUE instead.

Sorry, no go for me.