Comics of the Week

Boy, what a let down. Detective Comics 880, by Scott Snyder and Jock missed every chance it had at being a great comic.  Here we have the next escalation in the ever increasing tension of the story of James Gordon's son, which, last issue, hinted at crossing over with what could be the creepiest Joker in recent memory. Well, here, the ball is dropped. The art, it just, insists on itself. Just look at that cover. It says it all. The writing . . . I can't do it. This was AWESOME, from the cover to the last panel! I just can't figure out a way to write about just how fantastic it is anymore. Every issue in this run has been better than the previous one, tightening the tension to almost unbearable levels. The revelations in this issue amp up the creep factor and instead of releasing the tension, it just takes it further. This run will go down as being among the classic runs in any comic, not to mention one of the best Batman runs ever.

Cobra #3 is the closest the relaunched IDW books have gotten to what they had going before they killed Cobra Commander. Mike Costa shows us just how powerful Tomax is. He knows he won't be the new Commander, but I'm not sure it matters to him. He only cares about vengeance at this point and he certainly has the means to take down G.I. Joe with or without Cobra. He's cool and calculating, but underneath that is the pain of losing his brother. It will be interesting to see if he winds up at odds with Cobra. As it was before the relaunch, this title is the best of the Joe books.









In X-Men Schism #2 the mutants continue to stand firm against the increasing distrust from the rest of the world. Scott is making some very Magneto-like choices, while Wolverine is showing his softer side here. I like this reversal quite a bit. What holds it all together is the obvious respect the two characters have for each other. This would be a run of the mill event if not for the deep character and relationship work going on here. Jason Aaron writes a great Wolverine, but here we see he can write Scott just as well. The art in this book, by Frank Cho, is just gorgeous. The lines may be clean, but the details are many in each facial expression. Cho's Wolverine, in particular, is a story in itself. Much like Trick Daddy, Logan loves the kids.

Comics of the Week

Flashpoint #1, while not perfect, did what I think a first issue of comic event should do. While the story was actually set in motion in the Flash title, which released it’s final issue this week as well, Flashpoint picks up from a good starting point, so that you don’t necessarily have to have read the Flash series. You could just pick this book up, start reading and be left with the appropriate amount of questions going in. Barry Allen wakes up in a world that is not his own. That’s pretty much all you need to know. As we go along, the specifics of the differences are revealed, sometimes clumsily, sure, but overall I think this was a good start. The big reveal at the end of this issue, which has been spoiled in many places already, sets up what I’ve been saying all along: that the main story will not be the best part of this event. I’m looking forward to learning more about all the characters that are introduced here. Next month is going to be crazy with Flashpoint titles.  

G.I. Joe #1 did a lot of things right as well. Chuck Dixon continues to build a realistic world around these ridiculous characters. Something I would love explored, though, is what is passed off as almost a throw away in this issue. When dealing with the body of Cobra Commander, we are told Cobra has to make it look like an accident, because his real identity was that of a prominent man. I wonder if we’ll ever learn who exactly Cobra Commander really was. That alone could be a whole series in this universe. But now we have Cobra coming after the Joes hard, as they have their contest to determine who will be the new Commander. And as has been the case with the IDW Joe books, the Cobra side of the story is what keeps me coming back. Can’t wait for the next issue, and the first issues of the other 2 Joe books IDW is putting out. This is must read material.