Static Shock #1

Sigh. This round goes to you, DC. I picked up two books that I wasn't planning to week one of the DCnU, and I'm pretty sure I'll be sticking around on both.

John Rozum didn't sound too excited in his promos for this series; it really sounded like he handed over some scripts that needed heavy tweaking from co-plotter and penciller Scott McDaniel. That may be the case, but the two actually work well together. This is a by-the-numbers book, but there are enough elements here to bring me back.

Virgil (Ovid) Hawkins has made the move to NYC, where he's working for Star Labs. It's unclear how much of his pre-relaunch history stands, but at the least we know that Dakota City exists, that Static has been active there, and that Hardware has taken the young hero under his wing. As a huge Hardware fan, I'm now obligated to pick up this book. Fortunately I'm a Static fan too. NYC isn't going to be too kind to Static, it seems. The same fickle folks who read the Daily Bugle seem to reside in the DCnU Big Apple.

I can't remember if the villains in this issue are new or not, but either way, there is potential with a lizard-guy who shoots glowing CD's. And is that last page correct? Cause it looks like Static just got his arm blasted off!

The hits keep coming, because I'm not smart enough to know if the science during the opening fight is real or not, but it sounds good enough to me to pass the comic pseudo-science test. (But then, cosmic treadmills also pass that test, so it isn't saying much!)

Scott McDaniel may not be the most detailed or realistic artist, but he has always excelled at dynamic action. An electric hero like Static is right up his alley. Static uses his powers in two or three different ways that work visually and scientifically, boosting Virgil's power set in some pretty neat ways.

DC wins again. I'm in.

Good

Xombi #3

I wanted to get this out right away; much like Grant Morrison's work, I'm not sure I totally follow everything that John Rozum is trying to do with this series. I'm pretty clear on "Xombi" and his powers, and I love the league of Catholic heroes too. Adding in some other faith's heroes just makes this whole thing more fun. And the flavor is fantastic. Those creepy kids in issue 1 & 2, then the mournful ghosts who spend a few pages talking about enjoying the little things out of life. These are all well-done and riveting, that's what keeps bringing me back to the book.

But I'm confused on the plot. I can't remember who betrayed who, I can't remember who had one half of their brain kill the other... I get that the rage of God moved in when one personality left, but... why? Maybe it will all become clear, or maybe I need to sit down and re-read these again. It's not so blurry that I'm disliking the comic.

Frazer Irving's art is another huge selling point for this book. The art is moody and dark, but the character designs are clear and the action is well-choreographed. I can't think of a book I wouldn't try out to see more of Irving's art.

Good

Milestone Forever #2

This certainly seems like a personal project for Dwayne McDuffie. I don't claim to know the guy, but from what I THINK I know, the story in the pages telling the end of the Milestone universe could certainly parallel some of what I've heard. The overall story concerns Dharma's all-or-nothing plan to save the Milestone universe. To save it, he needs to destroy it and then insert the unique pieces that make up the Milestone world into another universe. We actually get to see Dharma use Rift (from the old Worlds Collide crossover, I believe) to insert Dakota and the other aspects of Milestone into the DCU. Dharma uses the fall of Darkseid as his chance to interweave the two universes together. It's a neat idea and it explains how the JLA and the Shadow Cabinet knew of each other in McDuffie's last JLA arc. Seeing how Hardware struggles against his cage, thinking he's out, it just might parallel how McDuffie and DC get along these days? Or maybe I'm reading too much into it. As I said, I don't know the guy (but I love his work).

This isn't the best part of the issue, though. The high point is seeing Static and Hardware one last time. I wonder if this is supposed to be a real-time type deal, since Hardware seems older and Static is coming back home for his 10th high school reunion. Are we seeing what the Milestone Universe would be like had it kept publishing? While I enjoyed the Hardware arc for its psychological aspects, I adored the Static story. Seeing Static horsing around with his friends was fantastic. The humor, the action, the biting Spider-Man like ribbing of villains; hoo boy, have I missed Static. The pale shadow currently occupying a spot on the Teen Titans is NOT Static. If this is the last time we see the real character, then the guy went out on top, paired up with the longtime love of his life. The glimpse of his great life was a wonderful send off for this awesome character.

Chris Cross stole the show. There are other pencillers in this book, but man, the panel where Static yells "Shazam!" to change in to his costume, and the lightning just burns his clothes--that was tremendous. I loved how clearly we could see that Static's friends were just cracking up at their nerdy friend.

Hardware - Good
Static - Excellent
Dharma - Good

Milestone Forever #1

I don't remember where all the Milestone books left off as they were cancelled and to be honest I had dropped a lot of them by that point anyway, because the last creative teams weren't as strong as the first ones. But when Milestone started up, Icon, Hardware, Static, and Blood Syndicate were some of the best books on the stands. And it may be coming about 20 years later, but I'll take any kind of wrap up I can get.

The book opens with Dharma worried about some kind of cosmic calamity, no doubt the event that is shunting Milestone into the DCU. He's looking for someone to help him decide what he needs to do to save the world, and he takes a look at Rocket and some of the other heroes of Dakota to see if any of them can help him. The book shifts over to a great confrontation of the heroes of Dakota as they face down Holocaust and his Blood Syndicate. Tons of great heroes show up here. Icon, of course, and Static and Hardware are great, if limited, in their roles. I loved seeing the classic Syndicate show up too, it's been too long. Really, the Dharma plot is just an excuse to get one more great ride out of these characters. I appreciate the way Dwayne McDuffie wrote this. I think that to get full enjoyment, a reader would have to know the original Milestone characters, but not necessarily have kept up with them. So basically, it is perfect for me.

M.D. Bright and John Paul Leon draw the bulk of the issue, so it's gorgeous. They do a wonderful job of recapturing the magic of the original comics. I really hope that the great Milestone universe doesn't get too messed up as it is assimilated into the DCU.

Good

DC Solicits for February 2010

Here is my normal feature on Comicsplusblog where I preview the new solicits. February actually looks kind of low key from DC this month, but I am excited about all my regulars at least. The classified bit for all the big Blackest Night books certainly doesn't help give us anything to be excited about.

Brave & the Bold #26

This comic started out really strong, then just kind of petered out. John Rozum has a neat idea where the Spectre kills a murderer, but then the murderer starts killing ghosts and nice vampires. It seems that Spectre is only allowed to cast judgement on the living, so until the very end of the issue, the Spectre is kind of hands off. He eventually changes his mind and just pops the murderer's ghost to eliminate the problem.

You might ask who the team-up is in this one, and the answer is Xombi. The problem is that Xombi doesn't really have useful powers. He regenerates from physical damage but his main contribution to the plot is basically "hey Spectre, remember when you were a cop and wanted to help folks?" That's what inspires Spectre to take action at the end, but that's a pretty weak role for a hero getting top billing on the cover. I never read Xombi in the Milestone days and I hate to say there isn't a lot of incentive to go back now.

Scott Hampton's art is moody and spooky like it needs to be, but it is occasionally unclear too. I had a hard time discerning when the ghost was around or when it was Xombi after he took some damage, that's how close their faces were. When Xombi is Asian and the murderer is white, that's a problem.

Average

Brave & the Bold #24

Harmless. As a follower of the Milestone universe, I'm picking up all these team-ups introducing that publisher's characters into the Marvel U. Matt Wayne does a nice job integrating Static and his world into the DCU with little bits like having Black Lightning having spent time in Static's home town in the past. With a smaller-time hero like Static, it is believable that he wouldn't have a lot of exposure to the A-list heroing set, so it was fun seeing how confident and smug Static was when dealing with Black Lightning. Holocaust was a toughie back in the Milestone days, and he stood pretty tough throughout most of this issue too. I enjoyed seeing Static constantly ribbing on both the villain and the hero here, Virgil was easily the star of the issue. In fact, when paired, Static comes off as a vastly better character, there is much more to him than the fairly bland Lightning. This was generic, but fun, so it was worth my money.

Howard Porter's pencils were fine. His work always tells the story cleanly and he does so again here. His take on Holocaust was fine, and Static looked great.

Fair

Justice League of America #33

So if I understand the news correctly, Dwayne McDuffie has been fired from JLA and this is his last issue. So it seems that we won't be seeing the conclusion of the Starbreaker story. I'm kind of torn on that, since this hasn't been that great of a story. Sure, certain parts have been decent enough (the Shadow Cabinet fight, last issue's Shadow Thief re-match) but some of this story has been meandering and random. That Starbreaker flashback issues remains one of the worst comics I've ever read. I'm really hoping Len Wein was having a bad day, cause I'd like to pick up his upcoming JLA issues, but I'm only giving him one issue.

Anyways, on to this particular issue. McDuffie picks up with Dr. Light overcoming her fear of darkness. She rationalizes the fear away that she's actually inside a shadow dimension/field, rather than in actual darkness, so she can still function. I love that kind of comic logic! The rest of the team quickly rallies and sets off on Starbreaker's trail, and along the way they pick up Hardware. Hardware was one of the cooler Milestone heroes, so I liked seeing him dusted off in more detail here. He clarifies his non-member status with the Shadow Cabinet (Icon is not a member either, as I remember). He comes off suitably tough here, I kind of liked how he repeatedly mentions how he could defeat the Justice League, but John Stewart and the other Leaguers just don't go for the bait. Hardware also refers to Vixen as "the future Mrs. Hardware" which cracked me up in another great character bit. The team eventually teleports (thanks to Firestorm's gal Gehenna) to the Shadow Cabinet HQ, where they find the team down for the count. They cliffhanger shows SC leader Dharma seemingly dead and Icon wearing down fighting Starbreaker. It's too bad this is McDuffie's last issue. I think Hardware would have been a good addition to the league. The lineup of Black Canary, John Stewart, Zatanna, Vixen, Dr. Light, Firestorm, Hardware, and maybe one more character like Hawkman or Hawkgirl could have been pretty dang strong.

At this point, I have no idea who will be featured in the league for the next few months. The rumor is that Geoff Johns or Grant Morrison will be taking over the title, and I hope it is true. JLA needs a A-level writer who can create stories free of editorial influence. McDuffie deserved better than this, I'll be keeping an eye out to see where he ends up next.

Rags would have been a nice collaborator and I wish he could have been drawing this book for longer. Imagine the possibilities if the art had matched McDuffie's story for the past few years? This book makes a good rating based on the stuff with Hardware. Starbreaker as a villain just doesn't interest me.

Good