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Post by Action Ace on Jun 19, 2014 20:50:40 GMT -5
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Post by Action Ace on Jun 19, 2014 21:07:56 GMT -5
Be careful, shax! I think the Shakespeare authorship discussion was the reason CBR was shut down in the first place. Big Shakespeare is a mighty powerful lobby. It was for the best. Shaxper got a huge respite from *UGH* Action Comics Weekly. |
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Post by dupersuper on Jun 19, 2014 21:11:47 GMT -5
Sweet: I missed this thread.
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Post by Action Ace on Jun 19, 2014 21:29:59 GMT -5
I read the Time Magazine issue about Superman's 50th Birthday in 1988, but it will still be a couple of years before I'm back to reading comics again.
The last Superman comic I bought as a kid was DC Comics Presents Annual #1 by Marv Wolfman and Rich Buckler, so it was a *slight* transition.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 19, 2014 22:49:31 GMT -5
Be careful, shax! I think the Shakespeare authorship discussion was the reason CBR was shut down in the first place. Big Shakespeare is a mighty powerful lobby. And here I was thinking my prattling on about Christopher Marlowe shut the site down out of boredom  Be careful, shax! I think the Shakespeare authorship discussion was the reason CBR was shut down in the first place. Big Shakespeare is a mighty powerful lobby. It was for the best. Shaxper got a huge respite from *UGH* Action Comics Weekly. Let's see if a two month break was enough! |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 21, 2014 7:43:45 GMT -5
New reviews coming Monday!
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 21, 2014 8:50:58 GMT -5
New reviews coming Monday! Yay! The Action Comics Weekly reviews return!  |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jun 21, 2014 13:32:45 GMT -5
New reviews coming Monday! Awesome! I've been thinking this place won't quite be 'finished' until we starting having Shax review threads again! |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 21, 2014 14:41:05 GMT -5
New reviews coming Monday! Awesome! I've been thinking this place won't quite be 'finished' until we starting having Shax review threads again! My feelings exactly. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 23, 2014 12:37:39 GMT -5
Superman #24  "Power Politics" writer: Roger Stern pencils: Kerry Gammill inks: John Beatty letters: John Costanza colors: Petra Scotese assistant editor: Renee Witterstaetter editor: Mike Carlin grade: B- Much like the issue prior, Carlin and/or Stern are working very carefully to offer loving nods to Byrne's work on Superman while also moving forward. This issue provides the return of the once forgettable villain, Rampage (introduced by Byrne in Superman #7), but provides better characterization this time around to make us actually care. I'd love to see the character return once again now that I've been prompted to sympathize with her alter-ego's plight to maintain control while also struggling to stay alive. In a sense, Rampage is comparable to the Incredible Hulk, not triggered by rage, mind you, but in danger of mutating into a super powered beast if her energy levels get too high. The problematic twist is that, if her energy levels get too low, she dies. It's a great character concept under this revision, whereas the original idea made for little more than a throw-away antagonist. So while Stern is revisiting and improving upon Rampage, he also takes the opportunity to resolve the presidential election subplot that had only been hinted at in issues prior to this one, though this aspect of the story sort of falls apart. We learn all in one issue that candidate Forrest is corrupt and in Luthor's pocket, and then see him get exposed. We don't even discover the sordid story between Moyers and Forrest that drives the plot of this entire issue. It really wasn't worth the build-up. Will there be some kind of fallout from all of this? Does Luthor have a Plan B that will make all of this worth having followed? Finally, we're still seeing minor clues dropped that Superman is still struggling with his murderous side (which came out in Superman #22 when he killed the rogue Kryptonians as punishment for obliterating the Pocket Universe version of Earth). After saving a life, he comments, "I was glad to do it. Life...life is very precious," and, at the climax of the story, Gammill (who made some impressive choices in penciling this issue), depicts Superman stepping out of the shadows, all black and gray, eyes glowing white with cool rage. It's an impressive moment that hints at a darkness within Superman waiting to explode outward. Important Details: - Return of Rampage - Senator Forrest is exposed as a corrupt politician and withdraws from the presidential race. Minor Details: - It's difficult to judge just how far Luthor's reach extends in the world beyond Metropolis, but in this case he was clearly influencing a presidential election. - Cat Grant is on assignment with Clark at a fundraiser for Senator Forrest, but Cat is now working for Morgan Edge in Adventures of Superman. Plot synopsis in one sentence: Dr. Kitty Faulkner (from Superman #7) is dying in a hospital after all that happened to her, we're reminded of how she became Rampage, Tom Moyers, the evil scientist responsible for the accident that made her Rampage, returns and attempts to offer her a treatment that will save her life, Superman inwardly expresses his misgivings about the corrupt Senator Forrest who is running for president, Faulkner eventually accepts Moyers' help, and he promptly manipulates her into becoming Rampage and using her powers to sabotage Forrest's campaign (apparently he and Moyers have a history between them), we learn that Forrest is in Luthor's pocket, Superman battles Rampage and is able to free her of Moyers' control, and the two force Moyers to return her to normal and confess everything, exposing Forrest in the process; Forrest drops out of the presidential race. |
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Post by Pharozonk on Jun 23, 2014 16:16:12 GMT -5
It's interesting to note that later writers like Stern actually did something good with the fallout from Byrne's terrible Phantom Zone criminals story. The whole Exile arc was actually pretty interesting and was one of the few highlights of the post-Crisis Superman.
I think that an adaptation of that arc for Man of Steel 2 could redeem that ill will people had towards the first movie and its ending.
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Post by Action Ace on Jun 23, 2014 18:33:10 GMT -5
This issue is pretty much ordinary filler for me. Rampage never managed to spark my interest. Kerry Gammill's artwork though....  He's one of the most underrated Superman artists of all time. Story: D+ Art: A Cover: B Historical Importance: D |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 23, 2014 22:08:57 GMT -5
I've been thinking more about the oddity of Stern's stories focusing so intently on Byrne's characters when all the evidence clearly suggests Byrne left on bad terms with DC. Why give such attention to his characters in light of this?
I'm beginning to wonder if there wasn't some clause in his contract, or perhaps something agreed upon as part of the terms of his leaving, that characters from which he would receive royalties would get a certain number of appearances in the book.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 24, 2014 8:24:25 GMT -5
Action Comics #616  After taking a two month break from this series, I returned still failing to find anything entertaining about any of these features. Green Lantern provides a semi-interesting segment in which Hal must escape from a yellow coated safe, but that's pretty much the end of the appeal (if you even find that appealing). Arisa weeping on her knees and holding a gun to her head on the opening panel of the first page of this issue came as a bit of a surprise to me. Sure, it was an imaginary segment (Hal imagining what would happen if he died), but WOW. Weren't kids reading this thing? Blackhawk lacks most of the charm from Pasko's previous outing. This time, we have a full team instead of a lone protagonist, but only the engineer who earns money for his trip to meet up with the gang by gambling with college frat boys (and then beating the heck out of them) managed to impress me at all thus far. Wild Dog actually found a way to get worse, now focusing on the teenager who witnessed Wilddog last issue and writing him as a thoroughly uninteresting kid who wants to impersonate his hero. Somehow, I like this kid even LESS than Wild Dog. Nightwing provides some decent fight scenes, and Chuck Patton has somehow found a way to draw Nightwing so that his original costume actually kinda' looks good for once, but the story isn't engaging me at all. Black Canary wraps up, but you wouldn't know it. The extent to which Sharon Wright expects us to remember intricate details from previous chapters is absurd, the writing is stilted, it's often impossible to tell what's going on, and Dinah never manages to become an interesting character (nor does anyone else), but I have to admit that Randy DuBurke and Pablo Marcos do an impressive job on the art -- it's moody and beautiful. Interestingly enough, the feedback from fans in regard to the second issue of Action Comics Weekly (now 11 weeks old), shows the following ranking by those who wrote in: 1. Blackhawk (no surprise there. It was really fun in the beginning) 2. Green Lantern (also really good when it started) 3. Wild Dog (uh, what?) 4. Deadman (okay, that makes sense) 5. Secret Six (really??) 6. Superman (ouch. I guess the throwback vibe and super drawn out pacing was a turn off) And speaking of Superman... "Dead Men Tell No Tales" writer: Roger Stern pencils: Curt Swan inks: Murphy Anderson letters: Bill Oakley colors: Petra Scotese editor: Mike Carlin grade: C- Two entire pages to explain that a guy has a microchip in his head, and then he blows up. At this pace, is the first story line for this feature EVER going to wrap up? Stern provides so much text that says so little, really preventing Swan and Scotese from doing all that much to counterbalance the lack of plot with their art. Also, Scotese really pours the red on this time, making everyone look sunburned, unless this was an error that occurred during printing. Important details: of course not. Minor details: Superman uses his cape to protect two doctors from a massive explosion. That would only have worked Pre-Crisis, when Superman's cape was indestructible. Is Stern (who is writing the regular Superman title and presumably would know this) intentionally writing this retro-feeling feature to take place in the Pre-Crisis?? Plot synopsis: Two doctors are examining the assassin Superman appeared to have killed, Superman discovers he has a microchip in his head that functions as a two way communicator, they all speculate that this might be what killed him, and it then blows him up in a massive explosion. |
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Post by shaxper on Jun 24, 2014 9:54:28 GMT -5
Action Comics #617  This has got to be my favorite cover from ACW. It's so Bruce Timm before Bruce Timm. Amazingly enough, the letter column for this issue reveals that they'd already planned ahead as far as issue #636 (19 issues away!) and yet they're still first getting reader feedback from 11 issues ago. This format was doomed at the get-go. Green Lantern has turned surprisingly generic as Peter David introduces The Freak Show, an all new band of super villains to obligatorily fight Hal long enough to make for a semi-plausible conflict. Blackhawk has improved slightly, as the personalities of the other team members begin to come through. Wang is delightfully deplorable, and Pasko really enjoys pushing the boundaries of good taste in this comic. "Phuggin" is certainly one way to skirt the comics code. Wild Dog keeps finding ways to get worse. This chapter, in which the teenager who's been idolizing him rushes into combat to aid him could not play off more generically, with WD reprimanding him for putting himself in danger and the kid insisting he helped him. Collins and Beatty try to play it for laughs, but Collins should realize by now that he's not cut out for writing kid sidekicks. Heck, the kid makes reference to every Batman needing a Robin at the close. Fortunately, Pasko is at least using the incident to make Wild Dog question the implications WD's actions are having on a society that is captively watching, and that's slightly interesting. Phantom Stranger pulls off a real surprise here at Paul Kupperberg provides a well paced done-in-one story that doesn't meander on with tired cliffhangers like its brethren. It's not a good story, but at least it resolved quickly. Also, it offers us one of the most unintentionally disturbing yet hilarious panels I've seen in a comic in a long time:  Wow. So will the Phantom Stranger feature continue next week with a new done-in-one story, or was this just a filler? Nightwing gets a little better this time as we finally learn what Roy Harper's grand secret agenda is -- and it's to see his kid. Surprising, touching, and a bit absurd as we watch supremely trained action heroes battle out a custody conflict on a much grander scale. Can't decide if I like it enough. Still, Wolfman's writing is strong, and Patton's art is captivating. The fan rankings from ACW #606 reveal Wild Dog falling in popularity (good!), but nothing else changing. Superman is still the least popular feature. And, even though they stunk, it's sad to see all the female protagonists gone from this title (at least for the moment). I respected the feminist voice ACW was trying to give power to in these pages. I know we'll eventually be getting Phantom Lady, and I hope we'll see some others -- hopefully done better than Catwoman and Black Canary were. And then there's Superman... "Missing Person" writer: Roger Stern pencils: Curt Swan inks: Murphy Anderson letters: Bill Oakley colors: Tom Ziuko editor: Mike Carlin grade: D Superman reminds us in this chapter that the entire story thus far has taken place over the course of a few hours. Chapter one occurred "this afternoon" and it's just now becoming dusk. Granted, this story has only had 28 pages to develop thus far, but Stern's pacing needs to take into account that it's been three and a half months for the reader. And yet, here he is, introducing a new twist to keep this conflict from resolving, as Bob Galt (previously staying safely in Clark Kent's apartment) is no longer there, much to Superman's surprise. Though given tons and tons of dense writing to contend with, Swan tries to make the visuals interesting once again, depicting Superman flying across landscapes while thinking to himself. It's a nice gesture, but this whole feature is just maddening in its lack of momentum. Also, Tom Ziuko returns to coloring this issue, and everything is still too red, suggesting that this is, in fact, coming from the printing process itself. Important details: No Minor details: Perhaps this week's cover, in which Superman races a train right out of the 1940 World's Fair, confirms my suspicions that this feature is intended to be set in the Pre-Crisis era. Then again, a micro transceiver implanted in a criminal's brain would suggest that Superman is in the current day after all, as would the miniature TV seen in Clark's apartment in the final panel. Of course, this can still be the current day of the Pre-Crisis continuity (or at least 1985, before the Crisis occurred). Chances are, I'm thinking way too much about this. plot synopsis: Superman reminds us of the plot as it currently stands, and then discovers Bob Galt is no longer in Clark Kent's apartment. |
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