Worlds' Finest: The Lost Daughters of Earth 2 TPB

More than any other New 52 title, I really wanted to like this book. Two of my favorite artists, George Perez and Kevin Maguire were teaming up on the art. When they couldn’t quite finish, I knew Jerry Ordway (another favorite) was coming in to lend a hand. Paul Levitz is a legend in the industry. That’s not even mentioning that this series starts my favorite DC heroine, Power Girl, and I’ve read and enjoyed a lot of Huntress stories over the years too.

Surely this creative team could overcome the disappointment that has crushed so many of the new 52 relaunches.

Nope.

Instead, I found this to be a pointless series. There is no greater through-plot running through the book. Random villains show up, get vanquished, and move on. George Perez handles the art in this “present” portion of the story, while Kevin Maguire handles the flashbacks to the ladies’ arrival on the New 52 Earth.

This could actually work if I could make myself care about any of the villains. But the opening villain, the radiation based Hakkou, is not very interesting. I don’t understand his goals or motivations. He doesn’t seem to have any plan or plot in motion. He’s destroying Power Girl’s equipment because the plot requires it. This trade has 6 issues in it, and the only super-powered foe the ladies face is the generic Hakkou. This is a greater problem in the New 52 in general; the villains are all so generic.

Maybe the flashbacks save the story? Nope. Kevin Maguire gets to draw exquisite facial expressions and top-notch comic “acting” as the heroines go shopping, eat in parks, and chat. What a waste! Huntress must make comments about embezzling from Bruce Wayne at LEAST once an issue. There is no hint that this might come back to bite them. Power Girl flirts with everyone around her, usually wearing cutesy shirts like “Free Hugs.”

The art is great, as we knew it would be. The costumes stink, of course, especially the “present” version of Power Girl. I sort of like the Robin and Supergirl costumes that Maguire designed for Earth 2, but there aren’t enough flashbacks in that setting. Hakkou looks like an off-model parademon. Every artist in the book takes every opportunity to show Power Girl’s clothes getting ripped, burned, or torn off. PG finishes half her fights in a bra. Since it is mentioned in the dialogue, I assume that was scripted? Just… why?

I hoped this could be a super-gal team-up book I could read with my daughters. Instead, this joins the stack of EVIL comics that I won’t rush to follow up on. I mean, when Maguire and Perez both leave the book shortly after this, why keep reading? 

World's Finest #1 (and the DCnU in General)

This hurts me to admit, because I’ve been a big Power Girl fan for years, but this comic was TLDR for me. (That’s Too Long, Didn’t Read for those who don’t know.)


I should have known better, my engagement with the DC New 52 is at an all-time low these days. Factor in ANOTHER alternate world in Earth 2, more “all you know is wrong!” with Helena Bertinelli being erased from continuity, and some tie ins to books I don’t read like Mr. Terrific, and I just plain lost interest.

I think my affection for comic art isn’t enough to carry me at this point. I love George Perez’s work, and Kevin Maguire is a top-5 artist for me, but I just can’t seem to navigate through the new 52 continuity. I know Dan Jurgens, Keith Giffen, and Jerry Ordway are still working, and I’m sure other favorites are drawing DC books too, but I think I’m going to have to sit this era out. I will check out the work from the library, because I do love the art, though.

I’ve been trying not to gripe too much, I’m sure the next generation loves the DCnU, and I’m happy for them. It just doesn’t seem to be a continuity I’m interested in! I know sales are way up, so I’m sure that all the new readers who came in with the reboot more than make up for old grumpy guys like me. I wish DC the best; it just means that this blog may have more Marvel reviews than DC for awhile. In fact, I’m not even buying any trades or digital sales of pre-boot DC. If the story wasn’t good enough for DC to keep, why is it good enough to buy?

At this point, I’m down to Batman, Batman & Robin, Green Lantern, and Green Lantern Corps. What are the odds that the only DC books I’m still reading are the ones that didn’t get a hard reboot?

I do have to say it puzzles me that DC would put out an Earth 2 book featuring an alternate universe with weird versions of its main heroes. I guess they can’t set one title back in the old DCU because then fans might think that was the only book that counted. But it sure would be nice for us fans who made the mistake of reading DC Comics from 1985-2011. We didn’t know we were reading the “wrong” stuff!

N/A

DC Retroactive: Justice League of America 1990's

How many times can I say that I absolutely adore Keith Giffen and JM DeMatteis’ Justice League? Factor in the impeccable art from Kevin Maguire, and it would have to be one bad issue to turn this sour on me.

And this is a good issue. The puns, the faces, the fantastically-detailed artwork, everything I need in a JLI-era book is here. I mean, I almost gasped at how pretty that first page with Mr. Miracle is; I mean, this book is a joke, but it looks absolutely stunning. (I’m thrilled that Power Girl makes an appearance too, she may have been on the European team, but she fits in better here.)

It’s a wonderful goodbye to the best era of the Justice League I’ve ever read. And seeing Ted Kord one last time before he’s erased was bittersweet too. The creative team plays that up with the majestic flying into the sunset close, but I can’t blame them. There must be some part of them that realizes this was last call for an era too.

This creative team got me interested in the DCU. Seeing them work their magic one last time and so perfectly re-create that environment of fun and danger? That’s a priceless comic.

Excellent

Justice League: Generation Lost #24

I'm glad this issue ends with the announcement of a new JLI ongoing. I mean, with the sales and popularity these characters enjoy, there is absolutely no reason not to serve this fanbase every month. Soon we can start looking for lineup spoilers! I'm not sure the team needs BOTH Captain Atom and Martian Manhunter, for example. Does Batman belong on the team? Judd Winick has certainly shown to have the characters' voices down, he's the natural pick for the new ongoing.

Anyway, this issue sort of wraps up the last 24 issues, but not really. OMAZO does a pretty good job taking on the whole JLI team, and it was pretty funny seeing the group unable to figure out that they were being beaten by their own powers. Blue Beetle realized it, but ended up winning the day anyway, just because his powers worked a bit differently. I don't have a problem with that, since Captain Atom did the same thing, but it is still funny that there wasn't a more active way to beat the villain.

The parallel fight gave us Booster Gold vs. Max Lord, round three or four. These guys have really built up a good rivalry over the years, and it is great seeing Max continually trying to explain that he's not a bad guy. I hated seeing him just pop away at the end of the series. Sure, he's outed, but he's still in charge of Checkmate, he's still going to bedevil the JLI in their new series. I just have one request: PLEASE NO MORE OMACS!

Aaron Lopresti should be the regular artist for the new series. He's got such a classic DC style, everyone looks great. What is it about the new Blue Beetle design? Everyone makes Jaime look awesome! Like everyone else, I was tickled at OMAZO growing long hair and wearing a metal bra like Wonder Woman; clearly Lopresti has a sense of humor too, essential in a JLI title.

Good

Justice League: Generation Lost #23

UGH. I'm sick and tired of OMACs. Haven't we gotten enough of them since they started this whole Infinite Crisis thing? I mean, seriously. Max Lord's master plan is to make a bigger, fatter OMAC with Max's voice. That's the big reveal. C'mon.

There's some sort of little warp that separates the most powerful JLI-ers from their buddies (leaving Batman, Power Girl, and Captain Atom behind). The remaining folks can't really compete with the OMAZO robot (he starts using the JLI's powers during the fight), but it's almost worth it to see Booster Gold actually go after Max Lord. There is still a chance that this series could end strong. If Booster delivers some comeuppance to Max, if the Martian Manhunter shows up in the nick of time, if Batman pats the JLI on the head and tells them they're good kids after all. But it's going to be hard to justify this series if the big reveal is a fat OMAC.

Fernando Dagnino's art is fine, but I'm still confused why we couldn't have gotten a bit more of an original JLI feeling from this book.

Average

JSA vs. Kobra TPB

Why the heck is Eric Trautman not writing more mainstream books? He proved himself on Checkmate, and he lives up to that billing in this strong follow-up. I think he was one of the guys banished to the Red Circle books (that I bet I would have liked), but this guy gets the JSA. Of course, while this is called a JSA limited series, it is really is a showcase for just two of them; Mr. Terrific and Power Girl. While Kobra manipulates his terror empire into a more and more powerful position, Trautman shows us the two approaches of the JSA's leaders. Mr. Terrific is ready to feint and bluff and strike at shadows, plot and plan. Power Girl is confident that any trap Kobra can make, her team can crush. This is a great showcase of why I love both characters. It doesn't matter that every other JSAer only gets at best three lines, this book features my two favorites. Don Kramer's art is great. I've loved his work since his original run on JSA, and this lives up to that legacy. No one draws someone getting blasted by a haymaker better than Kramer; there are couple great shots mixed in again here. And while the JSA doesn't do much besides pose and run out for big action shots, those moments do look great. Good

Justice Society of America #49

I continue to be impressed by Marc Guggenheim's JSA. My enjoyment has probably increased as the cast has increased, at this point it doesn't feel like the JSA if the team doesn't have 20 people in it. I'm shocked at the power of the two new villains in this arc. Scythe takes on half the team, including most of the heavy hitters and barely gets taken out by a souped up Alan Scott. Dr. Chaos takes on most of the street-level characters and is handling them with no problems, even when all the JSA All-Stars show up! At least Power Girl steps in to show Chaos who's boss.

I'm excited to see where the series goes from here. Jay Garrick as the mayor of a city packed with super-heroes? And that city has a dark secret tied to the US government? I'm in.

Scott Kolins' art sells this book. Look at some of those panels during the Dr. Chaos fight where Steel is slugging Hourman in the midsection, you can see the chaos in that conflict that lets the villain excel. I think some of those guys should be a bit more hurt than they are, but I'm not going to complain about a dramatically drawn comic battle!

Good

Power Girl #22

So I heard this was a good jumping on point, taking place after the Generation Lost storyline. I have to give Judd Winick credit, this is a pretty solid issue. Power Girl really has changed into being a fun character, the JLI angry days seem to be long behind her. I like the amount of time she seems to be putting into her secret ID, that's not something that the character has done much with in the past (that I've seen).

I'm intrigued by the corporate rival that acquired a bunch of PG's corporate tech. She has potential, maybe a lady Lex Luthor type?

The conflict is fairly generic, with Superman and PG teaming up to fight some magical dinosaurs. I think a lot of the motivation for this issue was for artist Sami Basri to get to draw some awesome dinosaurs. And they do look great. In fact, Basri's art is pretty impressive. PG's... features are prominent, but not quite as blatant as they have been with some artists (I did like Superman commenting on her figure too, it would be a bit of a giveaway for a secret ID).

Fair

Justice League: Generation Lost #22

Look, I'm happy that Judd Winick is able to tie Wonder Woman into this arc, but let's face it, we need the Martian Manhunter. I keep waiting for J'onn to make a triumphant appearance as Professor Ivo or someone else that Max Lord has mistakenly trusted, but now I'm just holding out hope that J'onn shows up for the finale. He really needs to take a stand with his old team.

Winick does a nice job bringing Bruce Wayne and Power Girl into the mix. They were both very important to the JLI, so linking them up makes a lot of sense. And this team was already great. The new Rocket Red gets three or four laugh out loud moments, and seeing the Blue Beetle's reaction to his team was wonderful. I loved that he was totally befuddled seeing Captain Atom being so happy. Good stuff.

Joe Bennett does love drawing Fire and Ice, and as always, I have to say he's good at it. He still does his best work on the two of them and Blue Beetle; I still don't love his Booster or Cap Atom.

Fair

Justice League: Generation Lost #21

I knew it. There was no way Judd Winick could pull that off.
This issue is pretty slow, much like last issue. We've been sitting around for a little while now, just sort of waiting for the climax to this series. I think Winick has some good stuff planned, I know I certainly got a chill on the last page as the JLI starts to gear up to take on Max Lord. I'm just saying that I think this might have been 16 issues of story (tops) stretched into 24. We still need to have Power Girl, Batman, and hopefully Martian Manhunter and Guy Gardner show up, right?

Winick has an interesting take on Captain Atom, doesn't he? Cap A is an immortal, essentially, and it was nice seeing Ice give him that vote of confidence. I'm also pleased to see Fire and Rocket Red get together, this is a pretty dark book and the characters deserve whatever happiness they can find while in this protracted campaign.

The art has been fairly average in this book. I think Aaron Lopresti's stuff has been strong, but Joe Bennett and Fernando Dagnino are too firmly entrenched in the current DC house style to bring a lot of uniqueness.

Fair

Justice League: Generation Lost #20

So this is the secret origin of Max Lord. Judd Winick does a nice job showing us how Max went from fairly normal kid to high-powered manipulator. Max's Dad was rubbed out by powerful corporate interests. While Max took it hard, it seems it really messed up his mother. She holds Max to a pretty high standard that clearly affects him. A lot of the drive that we've seen from him over the years seems to stem from her.

While I did appreciate seeing this side to Max, I'm not sure it justifies his actions. The problem is that Max has been an almost understandable villain who has done a few horrible things. Shooting Ted Kord and now Jaime Reyes is just SO evil. It's a whole step above trying to control Superman or take over Checkmate. I suppose his OMAC army is another really evil act that almost doesn't scale with his other actions.

I will chime in about Jaime again too. There is no way he's dead. The current Blue Beetle is way too big a character to get killed off like this. He's got to star in the new JLI book that will surely follow Generation Lost!

Joe Bennett does a solid job, as he has from the start on this title. I still wish there was someone who had a bit more of a JLI-feel, but Bennett is pretty good.

Fair

Justice League: Generation Lost #19

It's pretty funny when creators can play around with the history of their shared universe to get an immediate response. Max Lord's murder of Ted Kord is such a huge moment in DC history that the cover for this issue of JL:GL immediately filled me with worry for the new Blue Beetle. I'm a huge Ted Kord fan, but I really do like Jaime Reyes too; I don't want to see the current BB going out like this!

I liked that most of the issue was filled with Jaime being a tough guy, standing up to Max Lord and refusing to give up. The rest of the team does their best, but this issue is really Jaime's show. That's why I just don't believe that things are as bad as they seem on that last page. DC can't pull this off, the trend for killing characters surely hasn't gone this far. Assuming it turns out the way I think, this was a great issue.
Can I hope that Power Girl is going to come back with some more JLI-era help? Guy Gardner, Metamorpho, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, and Batman would be really nice about now.

Fernando Dagnino does a better job on the ladies than he does on the dudes. Power Girl, Fire, and Ice all look great. Actually, Blue Beetle and Rocket Red look good too, but Booster, Max, Captain Atom, and the other males all have heavy, round-looking heads.

Good

Justice League: Generation Lost #18

I'm glad to see Power Girl join up with the JLI. She was an integral part of the team back in the 90's, so not having her here has been a big hole on the team. (Martian Manhunter is conspicuous by his absence too).

Judd Winick does a good job building up PG before she actually joins the team. Thanks to more mind control from Max Lord, PG sees the JLI as a new, evil version of the JLA. It's a neat twist, since she sees Captain Atom as Superman, she's not holding back against him at all. She thinks she needs all of her strength in play, so she spends the issue wailing and Captain Atom something fierce. The rest of the JLI don't fare much better, she takes them all on and is able to more than hold her own.

I'm hoping that PG is actually joining the team now. Between this title and her own book, she's almost come around on the Max Lord thing three or four times now. It's going to be pretty old if she snaps back under his control after this issue.

Aaron Lopresti does a nice job with Captain Atom; he looks like a classic hero, and somehow the colors on Cap's boots and gloves really shine this issue. I like Ice's new costume too, it's a good update. I do have one regret, though, and that's that we don't get a better view of Captain Atom's sweet mullet in the JLI flashback that opens the book.

Good

Justice League: Generation Lost #17

What a cover! I love this theme, but man, the new Blue Beetle really is a fantastic design, isn't he?

Max Lord kidnapped Jaime Reyez last month, and we still really don't know why. I think it is interesting that this series started with Max Lord ALMOST explaining his position; he was still bad, but you could almost see his rationale (except when he killed Ted Kord, of course). Now Judd Winick has morphed him back into being a full-on villain. Not only is Lord kidnapping kids, mind-controlling soldiers, and teaming up with super-villains, but now he's upping his game. Lord reveals himself as Janus, the obviously-named newcomer to Checkmate. I was surprised to see what happened to Taleb Beni Khalid-Isr, the Black King of Checkmate. It certainly seems like that organization is going to be pretty poorly off once again.

This issue closes with a nice cliffhanger; I can't wait to see Power Girl go up against Captain Atom. I could really see either one of them winning that fight.

I always say that Joe Bennett does a great job with Blue Beetle III, and he proves it again here. Jaime looks awesome. I still say he has a better handle on some characters than others; now with Power Girl joining the book, I'd say he draws her pretty well too.

Good

Justice League: Generation Lost #16

The sheer amount of Blue Beetle action in this issue made it a worthwhile purchase, even if the overall plot didn't advance too far.

Judd Winick does a nice job making it seem like Fire might actually get killed. Last issue, the Creature Commandos and GI Robots arrived and plugged her full of holes, and she looks to be in horrible shape. Most of the issue has Fire and Ice saying goodbye to each other. Fortunately, Blue Beetle spots a Commando-Mummy out on the field with healing powers. He snags the dude and gets him to heal up Fire, restoring everyone to a pretty solid status quo. The book ends with Max Lord showing up to snatch Beetle. I'm not sure why he'd want the guy, but I'm intrigued and it is a good cliffhanger.

The other big development has Power Girl and Batman starting to look into the Checkmate connection to all the mysterious happenings in this title. It's only a matter of time before they link everything to Max Lord. I'm hoping PG, Bruce Wayne, and Martian Manhunter all get on this team by the time the series wraps up.

Fernando Dagnino doesn't do a great job with most of the characters in this book. Captain Atom, Booster Gold, the monsters, they all look just OK. But he does a great job on Blue Beetle, Fire, and Ice, so overall, the art balances out as average.

Fair

Wonder Woman: Contagion TPB

I don't usually lead off with comments about the art, but wow, Nicola Scott was meant to draw Wonder Woman. Her take on Diana is flat-out stunning. She only draws a couple of the last issues in this trade, but it is clear that she's got a character-defining run in her pencils. Stunning. The other artists are fine, Aaron Lopresti has proven his chops with this character and I've been singing Chris Batista's praises for months on Booster Gold. But wow, it is too bad Scott's run got cut short when Gail Simone exited this title.

And speaking of Simone, let's talk about how great her take on Wonder Woman really is. Diana is so darn approachable in these issues, she always has moment for the normal person on the street. I love Power Girl, so seeing the two characters fight then team up was a real treat too. Simone clearly gets Power Girl as well as she does Diana, when PG is being mentally influenced, WW busts her free by asking when have you ever "done as you were told?"

The villains in this trade resonated more with me than Genocide. Genocide was clearly important to the flow of this title, but I prefer the mind-altering children of Ares and the gigantic snake robots sent by space-Amazons. Those types of big ideas are perfect for WW.

Good

Justice League: Generation Lost #14

Well, Judd Winick is guaranteed some praise from me because not only was the Martian Manhunter still alive and part of the future JLA, he actually holds out longer than a lot of his teammates when things get hairy. Giving J'onn his proper respect goes a long way for me!

This issue takes place in the future, a bit earlier than Captain Atom's other jump ahead. This time his time-jaunt was kicked off by the energy given off by Magog's lance last issue, and now Captain Atom is stuck in the future. He's at low-power and outmatched by OMACs when the JLA appears. Power Girl is the team leader, and it's packed with a few relics and some replacements for classic leaguers. Alternate future stories are always fun, and Winick gets some nice character moments in with these practically new characters.

Mostly, the point of this issue is to throw a spotlight on the determination and courage of Captain Atom. This guy is a leader and a soldier, and he carries himself well throughout. I'm not sure about him being basically 100% dedicated to take out Max Lord, but for now it is a suitable reason for the character to go on.

Aaron Lopresti's future designs for the JLA are fresh while maintaining nice ties to the costumes they're based on. I think Damian Wayne's batsuit takes the cake as the coolest design though; those batwings with that mask is pretty darn intimidating.

Good

Justice League: Generation Lost #10

I love it when the solicits lie. We had promises of the Dark Knight on the trail of the JLI, but instead we get a totally different scene. A good one, I admit, where Batman starts deducing that Max Lord is playing tricks on Bats' brain, and Power Girl is in on the action. Just when they are about to throw back in with the JLI, they enter a fugue where they lose track of their thoughts. The JLI is back on their own. This was a nice scene, but what really hit me was that Winick is heavily tying this book into his Power Girl title. Maybe I need to seek that one out after all.

Skeets seems to be the most organized member of the current JLI, he's hot on Max's trail all over the world. I'm excited about the team breaking up into smaller units, it will lead to some nice spotlights, and perhaps another member or two rejoining the team. At this point, Crimson Fox and Blue Jay would be a lot of fun, wouldn't they? Blue Beetle is fitting in nicely, but Ted Kord is sorely missed. Everyone's so damn down all the time, I know Max is a big bad guy now, but this gang used to have so much fun. Now they're always so sad.

And c'mon, surely DC is going to launch a new JLI book after this mini wraps up. We all want that, right?

Joe Bennett does a nice job with the art, he and Aaron Lopresti have done a wonderful job making their art merge. Bennett pretty much defines the DC house style, but I can't help but wonder what a more "classic" JLI artist like Dan Jurgens could do with this. Heck, imagine Daryl Banks drawing this team... it'd be awesome.

Good

Justice Society of America #41

James Robinson's crossover with the JLA isn't exactly bad, I just feel like there is nothing new here. In fact, since Mark Bagley draws this issue (he's the regular artist on JLA) it actually took me a few minutes to realize this wasn't an issue of JLA. Sure, the focus is a LITTLE stronger on the JSAers, but the JLA folks still play a large role.

And maybe it is just me, but the whole motivation for the crossover just doesn't sound like that big a deal. The Starheart might be making some heroes go crazy, and I like the idea that the heroes are fighting themselves, but I just don't see enough of it for it to really have an impact. It's like, this story could easily be a bigger event, but it still feels small. The best part of the issue was Dr. Mid-Nite having to do some actual doctoring. I always like seeing the character have to be a "real-life" super-hero.

Mark Bagley has a great take on Wildcat. I love the droopy sides to his mask. He does a nice job with the power-ladies too, PG and Supergirl look inspiring.

Fair

Power Girl #12

What a satisfying conclusion to a great run. I think I can safely say that this is my favorite work by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, these 12 issues were plain fun from start to finish. This is essentially a Greatest Hits recap of the amusing events that filled the last 12 issues. Best of all, Vartox shows up (although I can't help but think of him as Zardoz) for a quick second attempt at wooing Power Girl. I'm amazed at how well Palmiotti and Gray play up the obvious sexiness of the lead character with amusing plots. She's aware of what she does to guys, but she doesn't let it define her. There is also an extended sequence in Terra's underground world, and to be honest, this section interested me the least just because I'm not sure too many other writers will use any of these ideas again. I do think that Power Girl's cat will hold on to that name though, it does fit.

Even better, the writers (and artist Amanda Connor) have created the ideal personality for Power Girl. I always like her look and power set, but this series gave her a fun personality and outlook that is actually rare in comics. She because so "normal" that this take on the character is how I'll define her from now on. When folks come in with another take, I don't think I'll be able to help but to be disappointed.

Amanda Connor did a wonderful job on this series. I wish she could stick to a monthly schedule, her mix of action and humor is so rare, I can't think of anyone who does it better. That sequence with Stinky wandering around PG's apartment was an instant classic, it was great seeing a hero deal with realistic cat-issues. I particularly loved the bug face-off, that is serious cat-business!

This will be my last issue of Power Girl, but these 12 issues will hold up nicely in my longboxes.

Good