Monthly archives: January, 2008

Best Mini-Series of 2007

Doom DeLuise says: Trials of Shazam!

It may only come out once every few months, but it’s still really pretty awesome, and the art is beyond sweet. I have a lot of complaints about this mini-series, but I had more complaints about every other mini-series, so this is the one I chose as best, sort of as a default. It’s pretty good, but not super great or anything. Everything else is just straight-up worse.

Jim Doom says: Captain America: Fallen Son!

Fallen SonThe best way to make a huge even seem insignificant is to let it happen without much fanfare. Captain America getting killed is a huge event, and planning a miniseries around the various stages of grief featuring Captain America’s closest friends and colleagues was a great editorial decision.

The stories weren’t always homeruns, and the series wasn’t without its flaws. I acknowledged at a few points in the series that the framework they’d built for themselves almost required that the series lose momentum. But for the most part, it was very well executed, and most importantly, it treated the death of Captain America as an event that affected the entire Marvel Universe.

(more…)



Worst Crossover of 2007

Fin Fang Doom says: Countdown!

Two years ago, the Countdown to Infinite Crisis was exciting and well-paced, its tie-ins were actually relevant, and it really set the stage for Infinite Crisis to pay it all off in a big way. Countdown to Final Crisis has been slow and cumbersome, the tie-ins have mostly just been an easy way to cash in, and there still doesn’t seem to be a cohesive narrative. We should all be very worried about how Final Crisis is going to turn out.

Doom DeLuise says: The Lightning Saga!

Never once during the course of this convoluted, shoddy, over dramatic, hackneyed piece of clap-trap did I even come close to thinking in my head, “Oh, this is neat.” It brought the return of Wally West, and it meant nothing to me by the time that happened. How Not to Tell a Story Rule Number Thirty-Five: Don’t tell a story involving 50 characters who all get equal face time without having a main character or overall narrative for the reader to latch onto. Seriously. Fifty freakin’ main characters.

Jim Doom says: Countdown!

Countdown 50Whether it was the title series, the way in which it would invade books I normally bought, or the countless spinoff titles, nothing has come remotely close to epitomizing the self-defeating excess of the 1990s quite like Countdown. Considering how un-fun this series is, and how completely it killed off the buzz coming off the end of 52, I can only conclude that this series is some kind of self-replicating virus, spreading across the weekly comics stands in order to kill off everything I would normally buy.

As I wrote after reading issue #39, “At this pace, the books keep getting progressively stupider and more poorly-drawn, so I’m predicting that issue #0 will be some crayon drawings of what I can only assume are potatoes or rocks bumping into each other.”

(more…)



Eleven Issues for the Price of Thirty

supergirl lucy pinderWith all this year-end review stuff going on, it’s started me to thinking about just how bad Superman and Action Comics have been this past year. Both shipped fifteen issues apiece, but how many of those were actual relevant stories focused on furthering the overall storyline?

Well, for Superman, that number was six; for Action Comics, that number was five. Did you even notice? I barely did, until I actually started thinking about it. I’ve just known over the past several months that I haven’t really been enjoying the two serieseses, but, seriously, they’ve been dreadful for the majority of the year.

The main storyline in Superman, focused on Arion and his prophecy from the future that Superman is responsible for the eventual destruction of the human race (his reason being that Superman beat back the darkness for so long that it eventually got too strong and overpowered everybody), was only featured in five of fourteen issues, with the conclusion coming in Superman Annual #13, a relatively abrupt ending for a story-arc that was somewhat interesting (and super friggin’ long, to boot). Plus, it was only in half that issue, since the rest was some stupid back-up story.

The main storyline in Action Comics, on the other hand, which focused on General Zod and his Phantom Zone escapees, only showed up in five of fifteen issues. It still hasn’t reached resolution, since Superman just recently escaped from the Phantom Zone and, after that, Bizarro world. I guess he’ll deal with things once he returns from his adventures with the Legion of Superheroes in the 31st century.

Now get this. Out of the combined thirty issues focused solely on Big Blue (do people call him that? They really should), five more were direct tie-ins to Countdown, all of which were basically the same identical story about Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen and some wacky adventure they got into once upon a time.

They were really terrible.

Furthermore, another little throwaway adventure was a three-part search for the Third Kryptonian, who turned out to be some dumbass outlaw chick who left at the end of the thing anyway. Thankfully, the third part of that arc cost $3.99, since, y’know, it was the ending. The annual cost $3.99, too.

Another little throwaway story arc was the Redemption one, where Superman thought about religion in an overly simplified, stupid way. Elsewhere, we got a reintroduction to the Toyman, some bug lady, and an issue where Pa Kent reminds Ma Kent that Clark’s a good hero.

That’s a year’s worth of comic books, folks, and thanks to the fact that artists can’t keep up on their schedules, I have had a really hard time remembering what’s been going on and where.

To sum up: Arion’s been defeated, and Zod’s amassing an army on Earth, even though Superman is several centuries in the future at the moment. Lois looks like a dyke, Chris (Zod’s kid that Superman kidnapped and adopted as his own) has a watch that inhibits his powers (well, so far he’s taken it off two or three times to help out, I think), and both Ma and Pa Kent are alive and well (I can never remember if Pa’s dead or not).

Goodbye, confusing Superman mess of 2007. Hello, drop list for Superman and Action Comics in 2008. Hope you enjoy your stay. I’ll only be picking up the issues that count from now on.



Best Crossover of 2007

Doominator says: Messiah Complex!

Messiah ComplexMessiah Complex was so much better than expected. It’s like two or three years of mediocre X-Men were blown away to make way for the coolest thing in the history of cool. And I’m not talking just comics. This is cooler than anything else that is cool. This is almost as cool as space. And space is fucking AWESOME.

Fin Fang Doom says: The Sinestro Corps War!

If Messiah Complex would have been completed in 2007, it would have had a fighting chance for Best Crossover of 2007. Since it didn’t, there’s really only one possible choice. The Sinestro Corps War was exactly what I want in a crossover: big fights, big suspense, and a plot that’s both entertaining ad logical.

Honorable Mention: Checkout, the Checkmate/Outsiders crossover. The thing I loved so much about this crossover is it made perfect sense. Checkmate is an organization that deals with illegal international metahuman activities, and the Outsiders were metahumans involved in illegal interantional activities. Not only did this crossover have a perfect reason to happen, it wouldn’t have made sense if it didn’t happen.

(more…)



The Doomino Effect for the week of January 9, 2008

Greetings, Doomwads, and welcome to this week’s Doomino Effect. We’re right in the middle, or at least middle-ish, of our annual Doomkopf Best and Worst of the Year awards, which I get super pumped for each year. I love going back and looking at past years and I realize I can’t say I like seeing what the big “stories” and “issues” were without sounding like I’m making a pun.

But speaking of one of the big stories of the year, let’s start with X-Factor #27, chapter 11 of Messiah CompleX. With Messiah CompleX, I find myself not only enjoying an X-Men crossover for probably the first time since X-Cutioner’s Song, but also being really excited about each new issue.

We see in the future that Jamie and Layla are talking to a young Lucas Bishop, who blames his sad state of affairs on the messiah baby, a.k.a. the mutant infant that everyone’s trying to get their grubby mitts on. Apparently, Bishop never gets over this youthful rage as he enters adulthood, and even though in adulthood he’s obviously no longer in such horrible conditions and able to help free mutants by reigning in those who dare perpetrate against their kind.

Never mind that — at least we get a good superficial explanation for why Bishop has turned on his team. One thing I like about Messiah CompleX is how it reminds me of the Mutant Massacre, which was freaking intense for its time. There are a lot of parallels that are obvious, such as who some of the main bad guys are, but one thing that may not be so deliberate is the time spent worrying about the injured. This is a war with casualties, as was the Mutant Massacre, and the seriousness of the situation is compounded as another body is brought into the infirmary.

Remember in Mutant Massacre, when the wounded included Shadowcat, Nightcrawler and Colossus? These were known and loved characters who were being taken out of commission in a serious way. Messiah CompleX doesn’t have that to the same degree, but the fact that the story spends time in the infirmary shows the characters are worried and reminds the readers that we should be too.

As far as the ending goes, I was going to write a blog about how annoying it is that Marvel can’t seem to keep the length of Mr. Sinister’s hair consistent. Does the guy have a close-cropped buzz cut or long, flowing grungilocks? It seems to change issue to issue, penciller to penciller. Now there’s a reason for that, I suppose.
(more…)



Worst Hero of 2007

Jim Doom says: Cyclops!

Astonishing 22He’s a dork in Astonishing X-Men, he’s a “douchebag” in Wolverine (Wolverine’s words) and he’s a pompous prick in Messiah Complex. Cyclops has just become a tool. After far too many years of no one giving him the respect he deserved, he’s now demanding it and not earning it. Why do all the hot women like him? Is it because they can manipulate him easily by way of his bloated, yet fragile ego?

Doominator says: no one!

I don’t really hate any hero or villain. For Christ’s sake, I like Longshot and miss Maggott.

Fing Fang Doom says: everyone in Countdown!

52 showed us that you don’t need A-, B- or even C-list characters as the stars of a major book to make it work. If you put a lame character into a great story, that character becomes great as a result. On the other hand, if you put a lame character into an even lamer story, it just sucks. Maybe Karate Kid and Holly Robinson could have been interesting if Mark Waid and Geoff Johns were writing them, but Dini & Co. sure aren’t that good.

Doom DeLuise says: Iron Man!

Let’s not forget that Civil War ended this year, and Iron Man came out winning, but, also, looking like the biggest dick in the world. Few writers have been able to make him heroic and in full control of his rational mind since. He’s making the rounds at redemption, though, getting his helmet handed to him all over the place.

Hey! Check out what we had to say about this category in 2006 and 2005!



Best Hero of 2007

Doom DeLuise says: Booster Gold!

The greatest one you’ve never heard of, Booster Gold. How do you redeem a character that is only heroic for the endorsements, fame, and praise? Make him be incredibly heroic behind the scenes, but have it so that nobody knows about it and still treats him with scorn. And this is the path he’s chosen. Absolutely fantastic. His role in the end of 52, plus his ongoing monthly, has been one of complete and utter fun.

Jim Doom says: Captain America!

Cap FireHe made Civil War worth reading and he was awesome in New Avengers and his own book … and then he got killed. But even in death, he only proved how awesome he was.

Whether it was in flashbacks in books like New Avengers (the scene when Hawkeye joined the Avengers was fantastic) or by inspiring people like Bucky and Tony Stark throughout the Marvel Universe, Captain America’s presence and heroicism were only amplified by his death.

For the most part, if there was a great Marvel comic in 2007, Captain America was involved in some capacity. The decision to kill him off was questioned, but it definitely wasn’t done with any disrespect to the character.

(more…)



Worst Villain of 2007

Fin Fang Doom says: Iron Man!

There’s no doubt in my mind that Iron Man is not a hero. Every time in 2007 that he appeared in a comic that didn’t have his name in the title, be it Thor, She-Hulk, Captain America, or Civil War, he was presented as a total asshole. Not necessarily evil, but definitely not good. Yet despite the fact that he totally deserved to get pwned by Hulk, Thor, Nova, She-Hulk, and the Winter Soldier, he was still presented as a hero in the Marvel U.

If Marvel were do an all-out heel turn with Iron Man, like it seemed they were doing in 2006, they’d have one hell of a villain on their hands. Until then, they’ve got a villain that’s not nearly living up to his potential, or just a hero that’s a really big dick.

Doom DeLuise says: Captain Atom/Monarch!

MonarchNowhere do they explain why Captain Atom went from being a hero in his Captain Atom miniseries (Captain Atom: Armageddon) before Infinite Crisis to a villain in Monarch’s armor after the Battle for Bludhaven. Countdown doesn’t even come close to explaining it, either. The only time we saw him between those two “events” was when Kyle Rayner caught up with him in the Bleed during the Ion mini-series, when Captain Atom/Monarch wasn’t acting at all villainous. Without explaining why he’s acting like a villain, we have no reason to care about his actions. And, thanks to the Countdown Arena mini, we now know that he’s incapable of being phased during a fight against three Supermen and a whole bunch of Captain Atoms from other universes. Unlimited power? Unlimited stupid, is more like it.

Honorable Mention: The Joker. Whether he was posing as a magician involved in elaborate black magic snuff shows, stuck in Arkham and teasing Jimmy Olsen in a scene reminiscent of Hannibal Lecter’s first appearance (without any drama or relevance), or standing next to Lex Luthor and sneaking up on the JLA several times an issue, the Joker has been a friggin’ joke all year long, only it’s a really bad joke with no punchline.

(more…)



Podcast of Doom

[SFX: intro music]

JIM DOOM: Hey you know what I was just thinking?

DOOM DeLUISE: How could I?

JIM DOOM: For about the past 45 years, we’ve been told that mutants are just like humans until they hit puberty. It isn’t until puberty that their “X-Gene” is activated.

DOOM DeLUISE: Yeah.

JIM DOOM: Well, that’s all the time we have for today!

DOOM DeLUISE: But hold —

JIM DOOM: Bye bye!

[SFX: music fade out]



Best Villain of 2007

Doominator says: The Joker!

A pre-emptive vote for the Joker. Sure, he was kind of scarce this year. But he’s just in hiding …

Fin Fang Doom says: Sinestro!

The antagonist in the biggest storyline in 2007 was a shoe-in for best villain honors. And even in defeat, he remains a badass.

Green Lantern 21Doom DeLuise says: Sinestro!

He brought every A-list villain out of retirement for a full-on attack against the Green Lanterns and the Guardians of the Galaxy, and, in the end, instilled fear within each and every one of them. Enough fear to change the Book of OA and add lethal force to the list of things the rings are capable of. Now that’s something.

Jim Doom says: Sinestro!

He lost the battle but he won the war. Sinestro pulled the right strings and got exactly what he wanted – he put fear into the hearts of the Guardians, and the Green Lantern corps will never be as noble or pure again.

Hey! Check out what we had to say about this category in 2006!