Monthly archives: January, 2009

Worst Villain of 2008

death of the new gods 7Doom DeLuise says: Infinity-Man!

I’m sure there are stupider villains in the past, but this one should damn near come close to taking the cake for the worst villain of all time.

In DONG #7, it’s revealed that the killer of the New Gods is this guy, Infinity-Man, working on behalf of the Source itself. Eventually, he finishes his work (kind of; he didn’t get to Metron before he died), and the Source bonds with Anti-Life, thus merging New Genesis and Apokolips and creating a new “Fifth World.”

Only, wait. None of that actually happened. The entirety of Death of the New Gods was directly contradicted by Countdown to Final Crisis and, later, Final Crisis itself.

Oh well, what the hell. Infinity-Man was a badguy for a day. And, for some reason that I can’t remember, he initially revealed himself as Himon, suggesting that guy was the Killer of the New Gods. But, that didn’t work, and, eh, whatever.

Remember how complex that whole mystery was? Who would’ve known that the first time we saw a dying New God, his last words (“Infinity…Infinity…”) would’ve been directly telling you who was behind the whole thing.

That’s just good writing.

Jim Doom says: Libra! (more…)



Best Collection of 2008

green manor 1Jim Doom says: Green Manor, vol. 1 (Cinebook)

Cinebook was hands-down my favorite publisher of the year. I don’t think I’ve ever so unanimously enjoyed a single company’s output, most (if not all) of which is English translations of continental European comics.

The best of the best was Green Manor volume 1: Assassins and Gentlemen, a collection of humorously grim short stories by Fabien Vehlmann with art by Denis Bodart. Volume 2, The Inconvenience of Being Dead, was also released in 2008, but I give the nod just slightly to volume 1. Both are among my favorite releases of the year and well worth the high dollar-to-page ratio. $13.95 for 56 pages would normally seem ridiculously steep, but as with most Cinebook releases, there is a lot of story packed into those pages, and I’ve already reread this at least a half dozen times.

Doom DeLuise says: Booster Gold: Blue and Gold! (more…)



eciloP renoB eht llaC!

Actress Serinda Swan has been cast to play the role of the magician Zatanna on an upcoming episode of “Smallville,” according to TV Guide.

According to them:

Smallville has a fun new trick up its sleeve, and it involves the CW series’ take of DC Comics trickstress Zatanna. TVGuide.com has since learned exclusively that Serinda Swan (who is indeed far, far, far from an ugly duckling, as your Googling will demonstrate) has landed the guest-star role.

I don’t watch Smallville, and I really don’t care about this news, so why would I post this? Simple. Click the jump for a relatively NSFW image. Hey, I needed an excuse, people. (more…)



Worst Collection of 2008

salvation runDoom DeLuise says: JLA: Salvation Run!

Only a great fool would think this dreadful mini-series has anything to do with the Justice League of America. There is precisely one (former) member of the JLA to appear in this thing, and that’s Martian Manhunter.

Oddly enough, his role in this explains how he appeared drugged up and ready for dead in the first issue of Final Crisis (don’t worry, kids, that’s the only bit of continuity from the past year’s worth of build-up to Final Crisis that actually tied in to the series).

No, the JLA isn’t in this book. They just have their name splashed on the cover to sell more copies, I’m guessing. Instead, we’re left with two warring factions of supervillains, led by the Joker and Lex Luthor, trying to survive on a planet infested with robot bugs and stuff.

It’s really, really quite lame. Save your twenty bucks.

Jim Doom says: Hardcovers! (more…)



Updates on the ‘Batman as Spectre’ theory

Now that Batman’s fried and shriveled with only one chapter left in Final Crisis, it’s time to take a look at the theory that Batman will become the new Spectre and see how it’s holding up.

There are some new developments that continue to point that direction:

• Killing Batman in the penultimate chapter has the power of building the drama before the resolution, but it also leaves the door open for a return in some capacity in the final book.

Final Crisis: Revelations has essentially been a drawn-out way of removing the Spectre from his human host. Final Crisis #6 noted that the mystics are attempting to contact the Spectre, presumably to draw him in to the final battle.

• We still have yet to really get a conclusive answer on who betrayed Batman. Given the mantle of the Spectre is regarded as a curse, perhaps assignment to that role is seen by Bruce as a betrayal by God. God was definitely known to readers since the beginning of Batman.

Crisis on Infinite Earths #11 establishes that The Spectre has the power to save the multiverse. In Justice League of America #47 from September of 1966, The Spectre was called upon to keep Earths 1 and 2 from colliding, providing essentially a multiversal bridge between the two. So there is a precedent for the Spectre saving the day in multiverse-threatening situations.

As much as I’d love for it to happen (and I really don’t want there to be a Batman Black Lantern), there are now, however, some good arguments against the ‘Batman as Spectre’ theory:
(more…)



Best Single Issue of 2008

batman 681Jim Doom says: (tie) Captain America #34 and Batman #681!

I went back and looked at my weekly reviews throughout the year, and these were two of the highest ranked. I felt like the relationship between the two was fitting enough to keep it a tie.

In Captain America #34, Bucky debuted as the new Captain America in what has been one of the best multi-year storylines I’ve ever read. Brubaker did such a good job building up to it that I said at the time “There was no shock for any regular readers to find that Bucky is now Captain America; the payoff for this issue was seeing how he did in his debut.”

Marvel showed that you can kill of a major character, even with some short-term hype incentive, and still make a fantastic story out of it, as it’s all been a part of Brubaker’s long-term plan.

Over in Batman #681, Grant Morrison spent several years building up to the conclusion to Batman RIP. Dan DiDio later revealed that it was an artificial conclusion imposed for the sake of trade paperback sales, and that the actual conclusion of Batman RIP hasn’t even happened yet, but this still worked as a powerful moment in the bigger storyline, particularly that involving the Black Glove.

What I loved most about it was Morrison’s portrayal of Batman. As I wrote in November, “It was without a doubt an in-your-face reminder of why Batman is so awesome. He’s outsmarting the bad guys. He’s beating people at their own game. He’s humiliating these supervillain wannabes, and the Joker is putting him over bigtime, letting the evil gang know just how screwed they are. For all the ambiguity of the first four chapters, much of this was straight forward and fantastic.”

Honorable mentions:

Iron Fist: Orson Randall and the Green Mists of Death

Hellboy: In the Chapel of Moloch

These were two great standalone issues that only got bumped due to my admiration for how well the two winners served their respective series. A great single issue is one thing, but a great single issue that boosts the enjoyment of a month-to-month series deserves a little extra praise.

Doom DeLuise says: The Man Called Nova: Annual #1 (more…)



New additions to the blogroll

I’d like to draw your attention to three new links at your lower left:

Bob Mitchell in the 21st Century
Digital Tales of Graphic Narratives
Geek Orthodox

Carry on. More Best/Worst of 2008 coming up in a few minutes.



Worst Single Issue of 2008

final crisis 1Jim Doom says: Final Crisis #1!

I’ve grown to actually like Final Crisis quite a bit, but it’s undeniable that the series got off on the wrong foot. Much of that blame falls on DC editorial and the misguided lead-in, but the reaction to this debut issue was most likely the opposite of what DC was hoping for. DC’s response to the criticism — especially Morrison’s — didn’t help either.

The confusing, illogical and continuity-laden yet continuity-defying launch of this series adjusted the readership mindset of the masses who wanted to love it but were quickly convinced it was crap. Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns are clearly two different types of writers, but the contrast between Infinite Crisis #1 and Final Crisis #1 could not have been more apparent. The following issues only got better, but the damage was done. The series has its defenders, and rightfully so, but the conventional wisdom held that Final Crisis was irreparably damaged.

Honorable mentions: Hulk #1

This was so stupid. I really dug World War Hulk and immediately stopped caring.

Other issues I really disliked: Mighty Avengers #19, Justice League of America #25, Justice Society of America: Kingdom Come Special.

Doom DeLuise says: DC Universe #0! (more…)



The Doomino Effect for Jan 14, 2009

You know, after Final Crisis #5, I finally felt like I was on the bandwagon. That issue had a lot of crazy going on, but it seemed to be moving in an intriguing direction. The closing splash page, showing that demoted Monitor rising back up to his godlike status, declared “The Judge of All Evil is here,” and I was pumped for #6. On top of that, DC told us that Final Crisis #6 was really and truly the point where Batman RIP ended. So there was that intrigue too. However, after reading part 6 of 7, I feel like I did after reading Final Crisis #3.

We start with Brainiac taking Superman to the God-Weapon, a machine that allows thoughts to change reality. It’s not often that a writer is courteous enough to give you a literal deus ex machina. I have no idea when this is happening, relative to Superman: Beyond, Legion of 3 Worlds or any of the other Final Crisis miniseries currently unfolding. Therefore, its context is completely lost, and that only gets better.
(more…)



Book of Doom: Mysterius the Unfathomable #1

I don’t know any more about this book than what the solicitation tells me.* I don’t know anything about these creators. I do, however, know that I’m sick of most comics I read and the idea of choosing Dark Avengers #1 couldn’t have made me any less enthusiastic. And it’s only $2.99.

So I’m taking this shot in the dark, true to the “expose yourself to new things” spirit in which the Book of Doom project was created. As always, send us your thoughts to doomkopf@doomkopf.com by Friday night to be included in the weekend roundtable.

Written by Jeff Parker (X-Men: The First Class, Agents of Atlas)
Illustrated by Tom Fowler (Green Arrow, Caper)

Will all patrons please be seated? Tonight you will witness supernatural feats that no mortal mind can comprehend! Your very senses will reel as Mysterius the Great takes the stage after years in absentia! And now please welcome his newest stalwart, the brave and beautiful assistant who will accompany our host on a journey beyond the boundaries of science and reason…the Lovely Delfi! Now, all join hands…”

*although here is a newsarama interview with Jeff Parker about the book.