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Catwoman #78 (DC - Pfeifer / Lopez / Lopez)

Catwoman’s way off the Hell Planet is set and ready to go, but first she’ll have to deal with the villains she’s crossed. And she’s crossed a lot of villains. Line forms to the left…let’s start with the bloodthirsty, claw-wielding, kill-happy Cheetah!

If I were a long time reader of Catwoman, I would be disappointed, because I am reading Salvation Run on a regular basis and for the last few months, these two series have been complete overlap with very little extra. Take this issue, yes we get a little bit of insight into Catwoman trying to beguile Hammer and Sickle (leftover Cold War cybernetic villains) and we get a close-up view of her throw-down with Cheetah. But it ends at the same place Salvation Run #7 does… with all of the villains trapped on planet Salvation temporarily putting their personal issues aside and dealing with the attack of the parademons. It’s a good thing for this series that this arc is coming to an end.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it has interesting watch Catwoman interact with all of her super-powered cohorts. But it is time for the feline fatale to get back to gritty Gotham with stories that fit her character better. There is nothing wrong with the writing or the art, both are great… it’s just been a fish-out-of-water arc, or more specifically a cat-out-of-the-streets arc.

Issue Grade: B-

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Suicide Squad: Raise the Flag #8 (of eight) (DC - Ostrander / Pina / Riggs)

Who really leads the Squad? The surviving Squad members make a final bid to salvage Operation Scarlet Tears as the rudderless Chemo blasts blindly through a strategic center in the Middle East! Who made it through the Dubai op to make the roster for Operation Salvation Run? It’s all in this action-packed conclusion!

As this limited series comes to a close, we did get some pretty cool scenes with the squad and some insights into the leadership of Checkmate and the future of this band of psycho villains trying to catch a lucky break. The story was solid and the art good, but this should not have been an eight part series. Originally marketed as a tie-in for Salvation Run… NOT! Raise the Flag was much more a Checkmate tie-in than anything else. And from what it seems like, we will see more of Rick Flag and his off-kilter cohorts in the future pages of Checkmate. This was a good series, but much more the die hard fan, not for the passer-by trying to keep tabs on the DCU. Might be good as a trade.
Issue Grade: B

Countdown to Final Crisis #1 (DC - Dini / Giffen / Kolins)

The Great Disaster has occurred, and all hell breaks loose as all the storylines in COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS come to a climax, threatening Darkseid and Jimmy Olsen and Mary Marvel and the future of their Earth! 

Whew!  It’s over!  And the crowds roar! Okay, for the record the last half dozen issues or so have been fairly good… in fact they have been phenomenal compared to the rest of this series.  This issue ties up the Countdown characters, or at the very least gives us a passing view of them.  Nice bookend covers by Kubert and having Ray Palmer give the Monitors the “you are now on notice” speech  was excellent… but even some the high points of Countdown does not cancel out all of the garbage the fanboys had to sit through.  And let’s be honest if there was a “Best of Countdown moments” book, it would be like one super-sized issue, leaving behind 51 weeks of leftovers and filler.  After enjoying 52 and sitting through Countdown, this is one fanboy who will be taking a break from weekly comics for a tad.

In my heart of hearts I hope Trinity is a whole lot better than this.

Issue Grade: B

Series Grade: C-

David Lapham’s Young Liars #1 (Vertigo / Lapham )

Indie comics auteur and SILVERFISH creator David Lapham hasn’t embarked on a monthly series since STRAY BULLETS, his magnum opus that garnered industry awards and international acclaim. Now Lapham’s back with YOUNG LIARS, his first full-color monthly series, about a group of misfits and their desperate attempt to salvage their crushed dreams. “I haven’t had this much fun since my Uncle Chuck took me on a crime spree in the fourth grade.” — David Lapham

At the core of YOUNG LIARS is the disturbing relationship between Danny Noonan, a habitual liar and crap guitar player from Texas, and Sadie Dawkins, the object of his desire. Sadie was a poor little rich girl until a bullet lodged in her brain turned her into an adrenaline junkie who only listens to Danny. But who shot Sadie only part of the mystery that drives YOUNG LIARS, from the twisted club scene of lower Manhattan to absurdist hijinx on the high seas. And from the hot shores of Ibiza to the haunted castles of Spain, Danny, Sadie and their entourage of losers will run from poorly disguised assassins, demented billionaires, and psychotic midgets — not to mention each other — in an absurd quest to get rich and famous. Or kill each other trying. YOUNG LIARS will provide relentless action, suspense, sex and murder in the way that only David Lapham can deliver.

Whew…that’s a long description! It’s also a dead on description. This is most likely the fourth title I’ve ever read from the DC’s Vertigo imprint. I usually save my sex, drugs, and rock & roll for other media, but when my lovely bride, who’s not into comics, asks me “Are you reading Young Liars?” I thought I should give it a peek. I found it sitting in the “not so new” release section of my favorite comic shop, Kowabunga Comics, and flip open to one of the most compelling opening panels I’ve seen lately. Not only do we get sex, drugs, and rock & roll but a nice side helping of violence. Well I can’t put it down now! This issue works as a giant introduction as we not only get to meet our main characters, but are made privy to their various faults as vices as well. And that is want this book seems to building up to. There is some mystery that will be taken up by our narrator and his fabulous collection of freaks, dregs, and losers. All with their own personality quirks and endearments…kind of like Trainspotting.

Grade: B

WARNING!!! The sex, drugs, language, and violence is explicit! Just what you would expect from a Vertigo title. That also means it should be kept away from young readers.

Salvation Run #6 (of 7) (DC - Sturges / Chen / Wong)

This is it! The confrontation you wanted to see: Lex Luthor and the Joker go at it in brutal hand-to-hand combat to wrest control of the Hell Planet from each other. Plus, a shocking event that plays directly into Final Crisis! And this is all before things get really bad for our castaways. You don’t want to miss this issue!

This series certainly has been fun, but it seems a bit long now. Like we could have cut some the story-telling fat and moved this from a seven part series to a classic four-parter. I know that would have messed up the timeline with Countdown, but I’ll bet the editors at DC could have come up with a better solution than having us rehash the situation every issue. For instance, in this issue… the stress and tension has been building, we knew there would a one-on-one battle between the two tribal leaders, but we have been waiting for four issues. Finally they have both had enough and go at it. Interestingly enough, everyone stands back and let Lex and Joker go at at it fists to cuffs, none of the lackeys really want to make a commitment. Page after page, they wrestle, punch, kick and exchange witty comments… and then parademons attack and there is no clear cut winner. Wait! is that a flashback to when I was ten and reading the first fight between the Incredible Hulk and Wolverine… why yes it is.

Issue grade: B-
Series grade: B

Simon Dark #7 (DC - Niles / Hampton / Klein / Chuckry)

A cult that has infiltrated Gotham at every level has the city in its grip, driving everyone crazy…and only the mysterious entity known as Simon Dark can root out the madness at its source!

Simon Dark is one of those books that is hard to put into a box. It’s a gritty supernatural suspense book, just walking the line from being a full-blown gothic horror, but set in a super-powered world. The writing is gripping, it’s the kind of story that makes your stomach tingle a tad, in that bad way, as different scenes or plot devices show themselves. The feeling you get when an elementary teacher turns into a diseased monster right in front of all of the students… and the scene jumps to somewhere else leaving you wondering… yea that feeling. The shadowy art compliments the jerky piece-mail story telling completely.

The only real issue I have with this book is that there are constant reminders that we are still in the DCU, in Gotham City no less… and no other DC magical hero has been called in as a demonic plague sweeps through the city? That doesn’t quite sit well with me. I think Simon could do a whole lot better as a stand alone, rather than wrapped up in Batman’s hometown. Ah well, I will give Simon Dark this… it’s the best use of soap in a plot since Fight Club.

Issue Grade: B

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Wonder Woman #19 (DC - Simone / Chang / Holdridge)

Part 2 of the 2-part story “Expatriate!” Spirited to the Khund home world, Wonder Woman finds herself in the unpopular position of having to defend one of the greatest scourges of the galaxy from the deserved wrath of many an angry race! What could possibly convince the Amazon princess to side with the enemy? You won’t believe the answer! And who is the incredibly powerful DC figure that’s trying to stop her?

Wow! It’s been a while since I picked up a Wonder Woman book… probably since the first really late first story arc rolled on about two years ago. I was hesitant to jump back into this series but with someone like Gail Simone at the helm, I knew it wouldn’t be bad. Heh, “wouldn’t be bad”… it was actually tremendously good. It was a great personal interaction issue that brought forth Diana’s personality and beliefs. In my opinion these are the best Wonder Woman stories, we all know she is a powerhouse in battle, but it when her honor and character are brought forth that we will really see how tough Diana is. And who else to have a battle of the wills with… than with a Green Lantern.

Issue Grade: A-

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Countdown to Final Crisis #2 (DC - Dini / Giffen / McKeever / Saiz / Palmiotti)

The Great Disaster has occurred, and all hell breaks loose as all the storylines in COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS come to a climax, threatening Darkseid and Jimmy Olsen and Mary Marvel and the future of their Earth!

Well, don’t know how Mary is doing… didn’t see her this issue. But kudos to the Countdown creative team, for not leaving us hanging.  We have finally caught the meaning of a few of these catch phrases throughout the year. Darkseid yells “Jimmy Olsen Must Die!” in reference to his plan to make the Fifth World… too bad it didn’t work. The Death of the New Gods apparently ends with the burning corpse of Darkseid, at the hands of his son, but I have a hard time believing Darkseid is out for the count (in-particular due to some of the spoiler shots from Final Crisis). Ray Palmer is the key as he stops Darkseid’s plan by removing the “soul crystal” from Jimmy’s brain that was giving him the powers of the New Gods.

As a stand alone, this issue was pretty cool… a giant mutant Jimmy / Darkseid throw-down leading to Orion battling his father.  Quite an issue for fans who have been following the New Gods.  Quite a few positive things about the issue.  I just think it was too little, too late for the series.

The main negative here has nothing to do with content issue #2 or necessarily the direction that the Final Crisis looks like it is going to take.  It has to do with how much filler there was in Countdown over the past 12 months… Arena, Crime Bible, Monarch, etc.  None of this really mattered at all.  A decent ending for what was not a “worthy” continuation of 52.

Issue Grade: B+

Series Grade: C-

The Oconocon, the premier Comics event of Wisconsin and it’s coming up soon! The Oconocon is May 4^th at The Olympia Resort & Convention Center 1350 Royale Mile Road, Oconomowoc, WI 53066. Oconomowoc, WI is located right in between Milwaukee and Madison. The Resort is conveniently situated less than 2 miles off of Interstate 94.

Some of the guests are: Jim Krueger (Justice, Project: Superpowers), Sean McKeever (Teen Titans, Countdown), John Jackson Miller (Star Wars: KOTOR), Mark Stegbauer (Femme Noir, The Four Uncles of the Apocolypse), Worth Gowell (Kid Houdini), Matt Anderson (White Picket Fences), Micah Farritor (White Picket Fences), Andy Brase (Kull, Incredible Hulk), Josh Elder (The Batman Strikes!), Rich Koslowski (Marvel Comics Presents), Russell Lissau (The Batman Strikes!), Tom Nguyen (Batman, Green Lantern Corps), Ande Parks (Green Arrow, Superman Confidential)… plus many, many more… check out the complete list here!

The architect and driving force behind the Oconocon is Joshua Goes. I have had the pleasure of knowing Josh for a year or two now. Recently I was able to get a few words out of him about the Oconocon, his life and how he uses his powers of geekdom for good!

Check out below for Josh’s interview, an insight into setting up a convention and monkeybread sweet deals on airline to and from comic conventions!

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