Justice League #1 and the other 51 titles releasing in September will serve as jumping-on points for people new to comics or for those that have been out of the scene for awhile. They plan on making these stories more accessible to a more mainstream audience with their digital distribution initiative available to read on the Comixology app.

https://read.dccomics.com/comixology/#

Superstar creators and Chief Creative Officers Geoff Johns and Jim Lee craft a supercharged superhero story primed with a summer blockbuster tone. Jim Lee, responsible for the art of the highest selling comic in history with X-Men #1, delivers his masterful pencil work with intricate detail and energy. Accompanying Jim in art duties is long time collaborator and X-Men #1 inker, Scott Williams.

Geoff Johns, responsible for the resurgence of the Green Lantern franchise and the wildly popular Blackest Night series, introduces some heroes before their prime 5 years prior to the rest of the DC line and serves as a high-octane intro sequence to the New Justice League with light-hearted humor and dialogue with strong likable personalities.

Theme of the Week – You can hire Ghost Rider, might need him to take on that whale

Heroes for Hire #2 – A team-up featuring Ghost Rider and Silver Sable. Some might ask why, I say why not? The highly touted writing team of Abnett and Lanning really seem as though they’re having fun writing for this book so far, and that fun really translates on page. So far, we have a multi-book spanning story involving The Puppet Master (yes, THE Puppet Master) taking control of Misty Knight who is using the Heroes for Hire for unknown reasons. The stand-alone story has Silver Sable tracking a weapons dealer who is selling demon possessed weaponry. It’s all very manic, and the action flows at a wonderful pace. The art is a bit messy, which works for other-worldly characters like Ghost Rider. However, the humans fall a bit short

Writing Score: B+

Art Score: C+

Overall Score: B

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #6 – If you’ve been following all of the Green Lantern books the past several months, you’ll know we’re being led into a massive event – War of the Green Lanterns. I wish it would get here already, as these setup issues have really taken a hit in quality. Emerald Warriors #6 isn’t a bad book, as it has many redeeming qualities. However, there were many moments which had me scratching my head. The true eye-rolling moment is when Guy Gardner spills the beans about the plan he made with Ganthet, and Atrocitus, to both Arisia and Kilowog. Apparently they get so pissed they ditch Gardner, even if they know he’s about to go up against a threat which is making Green Lanterns kill themselves. A perfect example of a decision based on forced plot progression, instead of good characterization. Pasarin’s art continues to improve in quality issue to issue, the highlight being the showdown with Zardor.

Writing Score – C

Art Score – B+

Overall Score – C+

The Unwritten #21 – The latest storyline in The Unwritten involves Tom Taylor solving a mystery regarding the novel, Moby Dick. This is issue three in the series, and proves to be one of the more straight-forward issues in the entire Unwritten run. Taylor has been sucked into the story, and can’t find a way out. To make matters even more weird, his dad has taken on the character of Captain Ahab. Is his dad actually Ahab, or just crazy? He doesn’t know, and we don’t either. Proving that the fun of The Unwritten comes with the premise we have no idea what’s going on. Frankenstein makes a cameo out of nowhere, giving Taylor a wonderful ‘WTF’ moment, which we share with him as readers. In the secondary narrative,  the Marrionette has a brutal scene with Lizzie and Savoy. Will make you cringe.

Writing Score – A

Art Score – A

Overall Score – A

T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents #3 – This has been one of the most surprising series I’ve invested in, in quite some time. The first issue was a random pick-up for me at the shop, and man has it paid dividends. This dark, espionage filled series has already gotten me hooked with just three issues. Like issue two, THUNDER Agents #3 is mostly a back story, setting up the character NoMan. Let’s just say his history isn’t filled with very many pleasant experiences. But that’s what makes THUNDER Agents so great. While everyone is so flawed, and warped in some cases, there’s a high level of connection going on here. With all the credit going to Nick Spencer. I guarantee you’ll laugh, cry, and be on the edge of your seat. The art fits with the narrative perfectly. It has a simple aesthetic to it, more so than most super hero books. But considering the gloominess of it all, the art and writing make a great couple.

Writing Score – A

Art Score – B+

Overall Score – A-

R.E.B.E.L.S #24 – Welcome to another first issue in a R.E.B.E.L.S. storyline. Coming off the wonderful conclusion to the arc involving the R.E.B.E.L.S vs. Green Lanterns , this one has a lot to live up to. What better way to do so than bring back Starro the Conquerer, who was the villain from a previous storyline. While many might see this as repetitive, I like it. The Starro story was a great run, and I’m interested to see his attempts at revenge. Here’s a hint – it will probably deal with Lobo. It’s a shame there was a lot of wasted space with Dox and Komand’r having “diplomatic” relations with one another. It felt like Bedard was trying to have an epilogue to the previous storyline. It wasn’t needed.

Writing Score – B-

Art Score – B

Overall Score – B-

————————————-

A pretty good week for comics. I’m positive R.E.B.E.L.S. will begin to pick up after the intro issue, and though I was critical of Emerald Warriors, I’m still stoked for War of the Green Lanterns.

Theme of the Week – Time Traveling After My Visit To Oz…I mean Ev

X-23 #4 – This issue continues the dark, harrowing adventure of X-23 (Laura). She’s running from the X-Men, while also trying to figure out who’s after her. The issue moves along at a brisk pace, with some pretty gruesome action panels. A character shows up who acts as a sort of mirror to Laura, and her journey. Marjorie Liu continues her wonderful characterization, though I thought her Gambit fell a bit short. The art continues to look solid mostly, though lifeless in some areas.

Writing Score: B+

Art Score: B

Overall Score: B+

Ozma of Oz #3 – If you’ve been keeping up with the Oz series, written by Eric Shanower and pencils by Skottie Young, then you know of the high quality this team continues to bring in every issue. This trend continues with Ozma of Oz #3. The story starts to pick up as we get a grasp of how the world of Ev is shaped, and how very different it is than Oz. Princess Langwidere is introduced as a new character, who has an interesting twist. The issue continues the trend of serious themes being found in the Oz stories, even if they were written for children. Skottie Young’s art dominates yet again, coupled with colorist Jean-Francois Beaulieu

Writing Score – A

Art Score – A+

Overall Score – A

Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine #4 – This bi-monthly series has taken a long time to get going. The story finally comes to a head as we figure out who is behind all the time traveling shenanigans Spider-Man and Wolverine have been going through. The reveal was a bit of a mix bag for me. On one hand it was pretty funny, especially The Czar and Big Murder. However, the tone of the story before the reveal set it up for something more serious. So the issue felt a bit disjointed. Kubert’s art continues to shine, but unlike the first three issues, he isn’t able to capture anything eye-popping. The issue gets bonus points for the heart wrenching moment of Wolverine wrestling with old school Spider-Man, and not being able to tell him about his uncle.

Writing Score – B

Art Score – A

Overall Score – B+

Freedom Fighters #5 – Palmiotti & Gray epitomize the definition of “fun comic”, even if some of the themes and content being utilized is more of a serious nature. We’re in the middle of a super villain prison/compound breakout, which is all about turning these villains into usable soldiers. The issue features King Bullet and his gang as much as the Freedom Fighters themselves, which is a good thing. If they end up surviving, I would read an on-going. Palmiotti & Gray should write it; they need to write more of anything anyway. The art continues to shine as well, with a very clean style that brings some tightly conveyed action on the page.

Writing Score – A

Art Score – A

Overall Score – A

S.H.I.E.L.D #5 – Oh Jonathan Hickman, how I love thee and hate thee all at the same time. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a series which is continuously stock full of content from beginning to end. It’s at once a great asset, and weakness. There’s so much happening in S.H.I.E.L.D #5 that a quickie review doesn’t do it justice. The main feature follows Nathaniel Richards and Howard Stark after they’re teleported away by The Night Machine, and we also get a look at their back story. The major reveal of the identity of The Night Machine is the highlight of the book, and falls in well with the theme of the series. Dustin Weaver’s art continues to please my eyes in ways that many other books can’t. I’d go so far as to say it’s the most beautiful art on the shelf right now. And being able to draw out all the crazy shit Hickman comes up with only highlights it further.

Writing Score – B

Art Score – A+

Overall Score – A

————————————-

What a great way to kick off the new year, with a week featuring nothing but solid reads. I apologize to Hickman for my prior comment about damning him. I really don’t mind reading the book twice to grasp what the hell is going on.

Unfortunately, super hero based video games have had a rather rocky history. Most of the time it’s because the games are based off a movie property which are usually rushed, and generally try to follow the movie too closely. Leaving a big stinker in fan’s consoles. The future is looking a bit brighter for super hero games though, as we’ve seen two quality games released this year with a hero theme. The first being: Batman Arkham Asylum.

I’ve played through and beat Batman: Arkham Asylum and I can say without a doubt it’s the best super hero video game I’ve ever played. Almost everything that you would want to do as Batman is included somewhere in the game. Except perhaps getting to drive the Batmobile. You can’t have everything, right?

Arkham Asylum’s greatest strength is how it captures the spirit of Batman and translates it to a game. It’s dark, dreary, and Batman faces insurmountable odds like almost any good dark knight tale. The spirit of Batman is greatly represented in the graphics, which are quite beautiful. The player models have a distinct look to them that seem other worldly, with almost a clay like structure to them. As if someone sculpted the characters and put them in the game.

Another aspect of the graphics that translated even better than the characters is the setting. All of your time will be spent on Arkham Asylum and man is it depressing. Don’t expect to see sunlight anytime during your stint with the game, and be prepared for highly detailed visuals. The Poison Ivy stage is a great benchmark for the game’s scenic beauty.

So the game looks beautiful, but do you get to play like ‘The Batman’? For the most part yes, with a couple of shortcomings that can drag. The heart of the gameplay is based on what is called freeflow combat. The system itself is simple, to a fault. There are two buttons that you’ll basically use when taking down badguys, attack and block. Depending on what is happening on screen you’ll combine button presses differently. In practice it’s simple but the way it’s shown on screen is breathtaking. The camera pans around a fight scene, zooms in and slows down. It’s really cinematic and makes a two button system seem much better than it is.

The second part of the gameplay which is performed much better than the combat is the stealth system. There will be playground type stages that allow for Batman to move about in the shadows and rely on height advantage to sneak about. You can glide down and knock out unassuming baddies, or sneak up from behind and take someone down with a headlock. I highly recommend this style of play when you come across gun toting bad guys. Batman really doesn’t like guns in this game.

If you’re a Batman fan then there’s no reason to pass up this game. Around 2.5 million units have shipped out, so if they all get purchased that’s one massive amount of people that agree with me.

——————————————————————————————————-

While Batman is a great game based on a property we all know and love, another game has really caught my attention – Champions Online. It’s a MMORPG that’s based on a pen-and-paper RPG that happens to feature super heroes for it’s lore. In this game you can create your own hero, and just about make anything your imagination can come up with.

Within 5 minutes of logging into the game you’ll come across it’s greatest strength, character creation. Almost every MMORPG features a create-a-character system but Champions Online puts every one I’ve seen to shame. I stated that you could make anything in your imagination, and the create-a-character is the reason. First, you must decide on what powers you want to have. You can either pick a powerset which has two pre-defined skills, or mix and match. There are 18 power sets in all, with around 12-14 skills in each set. So, the combination of skills at your disposal allows for some amazing customization.

Along with the powers, there’s a copious amount of options for creating your character’s aesthetic look. You can choose a pre-defined body type or dive deep into the slider system that is attached to nearly every single body part. Then afterwards you get to design your costume. The costume editor has too many options to list here. Let’s just put it this way, if you find a character in the game that looks completely like you I’ll be really surprised. The only kicker is that there are those who make characters based on established properties, i.e: a bunch of Deadpool knockoffs running around.

I haven’t gotten far enough into the game to provide a complete analysis of the gameplay. I can tell you that almost all of the powers have an amazing payoff that really make them fun. The animations are spot-on, and you do get a sense that your character is indeed a super hero.

Here’s a list of my Champions so far:

We’ve discussed cosplaying before, and how the art form can take some very interesting turns when coming to life. There’s the professionals who take their trade seriously, then there are those who should never….ever don a costume. Instead of posting both, I’m going to provide some awards to some of the better cosplays.

So, are you ready? Well too bad because here we go.

—————————————————

Why Couldn’t George Lucas Have Seen This Before Phantom Menace Award

Ok, so this cosplayer hasn’t stayed true to the character but it really doesn’t matter. He took a concept we can all get behind (hatred of Jar Jar Binks), and turned it into a creative idea that I’m sure garnered a lot of laughs at SDCC. Then of course he now has a bad ass Star Wars spatula to use when does some grillin’ back home.

Too Nice Looking To Be Quinn, But Some Awesome Dedication To The Costume Award

There’s some people you can tell wouldn’t make a good Harley Quinn. Not because of their costume but because they’re too nice looking. The girl playing Harley Quinn here looks so nice, there’s no way she could take a knife to my neck. Or lead me to my fate by the hands of The Joker. That doesn’t mean she didn’t take some time to make an awesome costume, and some solid makeup work as well.  Now, the guy who seems to be weirdly watching her from behind looks like he could be up to no good.

Hot Pikachus — The Creepiest/Sexiest Trend At Comic Con Award

I’m not sure which is more wrong — hot girls who dress up like Pikachu, or the guys who find it attractive.  An even more important question to ask is — What leads these attractive women to dress up like a character based on a property that for all intents and purposes is crack for kids? Whatever the reason, I know all you’re really thinking about is how the girl’s skirt on the right is half an inch from showing Pikachu’s no-no place.

We Apologize For Interrupting Your Regularly Scheduled Program, But President Obama Has A Few Words To Say

My fellow Americans, it’s time change be brought to San Diego Comic Con 09. No longer should we be complacent in our goals for nerd-dom, dedication to source material, and free Wonder Woman tiara schwag. I tell you this my friends, a vote for me is a vote for bringing true change to Comic Con and more statues depicting myself.

If There’s Something Strange In Your Comic Con — Call These Guys Award

Ok, this is a complete fanboy award. I’m a huge Ghostbusters nerd, so sue me. While these guys look like they belong more in a Halfbaked sequel, they still were dedicated to making some amazing Ghostbusters uniforms. PKE meter…check, Proton Packs…check, United Kingdom flag…check. Wait, what?

This Man Chose Wisely Award

Almost every Comic Con you go to, you’ll see the same things — Darth Vader, Superman, and random anime characters you have no idea about. Then there are the people who think outside the box. Sure there might be some who don’t recognize the Crusader from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. But I say it’s their loss. Just be sure not to take the $1,000 bust of Supergirl beyond the sacred seal. Everyone knows that’ll bring the roof down.

Even Kids Get Into Comic Con — Especially If They Get To Play Ruthless Galactic Bounty Hunters Award

While Comic Con is generally filled with people who never grew up, there are those who still have some actual  growing up to do. And when they do, they’ll learn how to properly use that blaster and knife. Then hunt you down and freeze you in carbonite.

Run Lady!! Do You Not Realize What Happened In Those Outfits!? Award

I’m sure this tag team received some odd looks while traversing the hall of Comic Con. I know if I saw them I’d think “Maybe they’re just into that kind of thing”. *Watchmen fan giggles ensue*

[Pictures Accredited To:Maximum PC]

The Wolverine…well not so much. I can see what they’re going for. Wolverine does have roots in Japan in his history where he slaughters a bunch of ninjas. But his character design is the exact opposite of the Wolverine that we all know. Fan reaction across the ‘net seems to be unanimous. Even the most untrained eye knows that Logan is not a lanky, silky smooth-skinned effeminate dude with the biggest 80′s hair band mullet of all time.

And you can’t say that it’s just “anime” style. There have been plenty of rugged square-jawed heroes found in Japanimation throughout the years. (Yeah I said it, been watching Fist of the Northstar since 1993. Bonnng.) The irony of this character design shown on the right from Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is that he was actually done by Madhouse as well. Give this guy the fly away hair and you’re good to go. He’s even got the cigar!

That said, I think the Madhouse animation style is perfectly suited for American comic book properties. I’d love to see an X-Men or a Wonder Woman, rendered in this style. Stipulated that the characters actually resemble the comics as the Iron Man does above. Besides, this wouldn’t be the first. Batman: Gotham Knight employed Japanese animators and ended up with a pretty nice product.

But what do you think? Should there be more American comics done in this style, or should they just keep anime the hell away from Western superheroes?

That’s the real oath that every member of the Green Lantern Corps recites. If you’re a huge Green Lantern fan like myself, you can recite the oath on command and if you’re a true nerd — backwards.

I’m sure most casual comic fans, or ones who only know the heroes from the movies have an idea of Superman, Batman, and some Wonder Woman. One hero that I find many have no true idea about is the ‘Green Lantern‘. With the plans that DC has set for Green Lantern, that all looks to change. As I look around it seems that every form of media is going ‘Green’.

COMICS – STORY, CHARACTERS, BLACKEST NIGHT

If you want to learn about the character of Green Lantern, here’s his wiki page. For a brief summary I’ll give you an idea of what Green Lantern is about. Unlike most comics, the term ‘Green Lantern’ doesn’t speak for an individual person. There are literally thousands of Green Lanterns spread across the universe. They act as a police force that protects order and justice, and at the center of it all their home planet of OA. This planet is the center of the Universe, and houses the ‘Guardians’ who have been around for billions of years seeing that the universe stays safe.

Along with the story, many don’t have an understanding of what power the Green Lantern actually has. What makes a Green Lantern special is the power ring that he/she uses, and the strength of will the wielder possesses. Depending on the strength of will, the user is able to create constructs from the ring that can be used to protect themselves or others, and engage an enemy. Their power alone is the reason Green Lantern is my favorite DC super hero(es). It’s such a creative power, and in many ways it’s wielder must be creative in how it’s used.

While there are many Green Lanterns, the comic book stories tend to follow Hal Jordan. Who is known as ‘The Greatest Green Lantern’ (along with Sinestro). His character was introduced in 1959, and for the most part has had the spotlight of the main series. During the run of the story, there have been times that the focus has shifted to other characters. John Stewart, and Kyle Rayner are other characters the Green Lantern series has focused on.

Speaking of comic books this summer’s huge event is ‘Blackest Night’. This story arc will not only effect Green Lantern, but all the heroes in the DC universe. It will primarily focus on Green Lantern though, and it’s really creating a stir. I certainly am giddy as a school girl for it.

The basic plot of Blackest Night is that along with the power of Green (willpower), there are other colors that represent different sides of the emotional spectrum. Think ROY G BIV. There are different corps that represent these various colors, each with their own members and rings.

Red (Rage)
Orange (Avarice)
Yellow (Fear)

Green (Willpower)

Blue (Hope)
Indigo (Tribe) (Compassion)
Violet (Star Sapphires) (Love)

The ‘Blackest Night’ story follows a prophecy in the Green Lantern lore that says the various corps will erupt in a ‘War of Light’. This leads to the creation of the ‘Black Lanterns’. These corps of Lanterns represent death, and their power will resurrect the dead from their graves. They’re looking to extinguish all the other colors of light, thus kick starting the ‘Blackest Night’ event.

LIVE ACTION MOVIE – GOLDENEYE DIRECTOR, WRITING TEAM, RYAN REYNOLDS

It’s probably not a coincidence that DC’s main event for the summer is focused around Green Lantern, and major news concerning the movie has come to light recently. It’s obvious they’re really wanting to put Green Lantern into the spotlight.

While there is a buzz about the movie, very few details have been announced. We do know that Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, Casino Royale, Mask of Zorro) will be directing. With Campbell’s track record I feel safe knowing that he will be handling the film. The writing team is what I’m most concerned about; Greg Berlanti & Michael Green. It’s not that these guys are talentless, it’s just that they’re inexperienced. They’ve really only written for television, and Green Lantern is a big break for both of them. This could turn into a blessing in disguise though, as they are most likely really hungry to pump out something solid.

Along with the director, and writers, we know who will play the main character (Hal Jordan); Ryan Reynolds. I’m pretty neutral towards him playing Hal Jordan. I like Ryan Reynolds, and have enjoyed many of his movies. However, I’ve always seen him as a comedic actor. Even in action movies that he’s been in, it’s seemed as though he played the comedic relief. Playing Hal Jordan will definitely test his range, and I’m hoping that he passes.

ANIMATED MOVIE AND VIDEO GAME TIE-IN – ORIGINS, AND TRY NOT TO RUSH THIS GAME

Ha, you thought that with a summer event story and live action movie announcement that the news would be over for ol’ Green Lantern. You couldn’t be more wrong. To be honest what I’m most excited about from everything I’ve written today is the animated movie, Green Lantern: First Flight.

If you’ve seen any of the recent DC animated movies then you’ll know why I’m excited. Nearly every DC animated movie that’s come out in the past few years has been high quality. JLA: New Frontier, Superman/Doomsday, Wonder Woman, all of those movies are definitely worth a watch and represent the various character(s) really well. Now it’s Green Lantern’s turn with First Flight. The storyline of First Flight will focus around Hal Jordan’s origin story and how he became Green Lantern. Below is a trailer for First Flight, which releases July 28th.

An unfortunate constant anymore in the movie business is that when a film is released, a video game tie-in is to follow. The reason this is a negative is because movie tie-in games are known to be of lesser quality. Generally because the developers have to rush the game out to coincide with the release of the movie. The outcome is a poor product with numerous bugs and just having an overall ‘rushed’ feel to it.

VentureBeat has confirmed through what they call a credible source that a Green Lantern video game is in the works. It is being developed by a company called Double Helix who created Silent Hill: Homecoming, and the upcoming G.I.: Joe video game. There are no details to report on the game, except that VB’s sources say that only a Xbox 360 and PS3 version have been confirmed.

CONCLUSION – MY HOPE FOR THE GREEN LANTERN FUTURE

Now that DC looks to stand by their strong surge of Green Lantern property, I hope that we see some quality product released as a result. For too long Green Lantern has taken back seat to the more popular DC heroes, and it’s a real shame. Today marks the release of the Blackest Night story arc, and I couldn’t be more excited. With First Flight releasing later this month, July 2009 could mark the beginning of something truly special.

Green Lantern bed sheets next? You’re not someone until you have specially crafted bed sheets made in your honor.