CAPSULE COMMENTS: The Flash #29

The Flash #29 DC Comics, $2.99, 32 pages Story Grade: D+ Issue Score: 53.75 RECOMMENDED FOR THE COVER ONLY So, I missed this issue when it was released last week. Having realized my error, I picked it off the shelves this week, rather excitedly I must say, during my weekly outing to my local comics shop. First off, the cover by Mikel Janin, colored I presume by Matt Hollingsworth, is nothing short of spectacular. It is not only one of the best comic book covers I’ve seen in some time, it’s among my very favorite covers of all time. It has action, danger, mystery

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CAPSULE COMMENTS: Aquaman and the Others #1

Aquaman and the Others #1 DC Comics, $2.99, 32 pages Story Grade: C– Issue Score: 55.75 MILDLY RECOMMENDED And speaking of failing to deliver on promise . . .  While Geoff Johns may well be lauded for almost single-handedly breathing new life into Aquaman, for my money the most exciting thing he did during he tenure on the title was to create The Others, even if that is among my least-favorite names ever for a super-hero team. Unfortunately, since then, two of my favorite comic book creators from last century, John Ostrander, and now Dan Jurgens, have faile

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CAPSULE COMMENTS: Trillium #8

Trillium #8 (of 8) DC/Vertigo, $2.99, 32 pages Story Grade: C Issue Score: 59.75 RECOMMENDED FOR COMPLETISTS ONLY Well, that’s that I guess, everything wrapped up in a nice, neat black hole bow. I did miss last issue, but was able to get up to speed okay, apart from seeing how William and Nika reconnected and realized they had somehow switched lives. That’s probably because this series was an idea stretched over too many issues. I believe the whole thing would have worked much better as a 10 page story in one of the giant anthologies that Vertigo occasionally puts out

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CAPSULE COMMENTS: Earth-2 #22

Earth-2 #22 DC Comics, $2.99, 32 pages Story Grade: C+ Issue Score: 59.50 ALTERNATELY RECOMMENDED I have a love-hate relationship with Tom Taylor’s tenure on this book. On the one hand, I love what he has done with introducing new characters. I was on the verge of dropping this title from my pull-list and I’ve stayed mainly to see what new and interesting thing Taylor will try next. Frankly, James Robinson’s writing on this title read like self-indulgent fan-faction to me (the equivalent of Bryan Singer’s Man of Steel), while Taylor’s work feels more like the construct

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CAPSULE COMMENTS: Green Arrow #30

Green Arrow #30 DC Comics, $2.99, 32 pages Story Grade: B Issue Score: 65.50 POINTEDLY RECOMMENDED It seems that every few issues we're fated to get a drawn-bow standoff between Green Arrow and Lacroix over Emiko. And, as usual, somebody gets shot. I don’t think I’m unleashing any spoilers by saying this time it’s Robert Queen. If you’re like me, from the moment he reappeared in issue #28, you figured he’d either get revealed as the big bad and die by Ollie’s hand, or else sacrifice himself to save someone in the cast. In this instance, it’s a little bit of both. Oddly

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CAPSULE COMMENTS: Black Science #5

Black Science #5 Image Comics, $3.50, 28 pages Story Grade: B+ Issue Score: 66.50 PARADOXICALLY RECOMMENDED Somehow, I missed the previous issue of this series and, while I was able to get back up to speed pretty quickly, I could have benefited from a better recap page. Honestly, what was provided on the inside front cover of this issue is the only what-has-come-before blurb I've ever read that almost demands that you know what has come before in order to understand it. Given the half-page of blank space, a who's who of the cast would have been a welcome addition as we

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TIME BUBBLES: The comic books of April 1939

Well, here it is boys and girls, the 75th anniversary of the first appearance of Batman (or, "Bat-Man," as he was initially known) this month in 1939. There has been some debate as to the precise on-sale date for Detective Comics #27. Over on Bleeding Cook, Mark Seifert recently touted March 30, 1939, as the date of the darknight detective's dazzling debut. And dazzling it must have been. The nascent comic book industry produced just 24 titles in April 1939 (five times that come out in a single week these days) and, for my money, Detective 27 was the most stunning of the lot. Anyway, Seifert

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This Month In . . ., Time Bubbles,

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