Comic Reviews

Broken Trinity – Pandora’s Box #2

There are thirteen artifacts that make up the Top Cow Universe. Two of those artifacts are: The Ember Stone and the Glacier Stone, which are fire and ice. The Ember Stone seeks to unite the thirteen artifacts and bring about lots of nasty things to the world. Functioning as an opposite, The Glacier Stone needs to keep the artifacts away from each other. Either can harm or help another artifact. The Obsidian Stone a.k.a. Pandora’s Box, like anything else in the Top Cow Universe, must have a bearer to unleash its chaos. Somehow, it’s not very comforting that Pandora’s Box isn’t as bad as the thirteen artifacts being together.

Broken Trinity is a prelude, if you will, to Top Cow’s Artifacts series coming out this summer. Whereas Artifacts will deal with all thirteen of the artifacts, Broken Trinity deals only with bearers of the Ember and Glacier stones trying to stop the possession of Pandora’s Box. Glorianna Silver bears the Ember Stone allowing her to transform into a dragon. Her opposing force of nature is one Michael Finnegan, an Irish Gun-runner and the reluctant bearer of the Glacier Stone.

Brightest Day #1

In the zero issue for Brightest Day, Deadman a.k.a. Aliveman, traveled from one resurrected super person to the next. The entire issue was very reminiscent of another DC series… 52. The pacing, the structure and the voice of the series are nearly the same.

This issue continues where Green Lantern #53 left off, with Sinestro bringing Hal to the white lantern. The lantern came falling back to Earth after Blackest Night and now sits in a crater in the middle of a small town. Hal attempts to move the lantern, but is unable to. The white lantern is the now the sword in the stone and the group must find its Arthur. The story then cuts to Deadman, who is still traveling invisibly from one resurrected hero to the next. He was invisible in death and now wonders why he’s invisible in life as well.

Irredeemable #13 – Review

Last year, at this time, the Plutonian snapped and destroyed Sky City. The Plutonian, for those who don’t know, is Boom! Studio’s answer to Superman. He’s the most powerful being on the face of the planet, but he’s also the most insecure. He’s everything that Superman is and isn’t. Whereas Superman was accepted by Lois Lane upon revealing his identity, the Plutonian was not. The Plutonian’s Lois, felt as if a sick joke had been played on her thus, she rejected him. Then the Plutonian did something stupid: he gave a weapon to a scientist without knowing the weapon’s function. Just so the scientist would stop bad mouthing him in the press. The Plutonian may be based off of a Superman archetype but he is anything but. He more closely resembles DC’s Superboy Prime, a younger version of Superman, with the same powers but not the same maturity to use them properly.

i,Zombie #1

Gwen Dylan is a beautiful woman that happens to live in a cemetery and works as a grave digger. She’s also a Zombie: the eat-your-brains type of Zombie. Gwen spends her days digging graves and burying the dead for the cemetery. At night, however, she undigs those graves and eats the brains of the buried. When she does, Gwen eats their memories. The dead then ask favors of her. It’s only fair; after all she is eating their brains. Gwen’s best friend is a Ghost named after Eleanor Roosevelt, or Ellie for short. Ellie, as you can imagine, also lives at the cemetery. It seems like Gwen’s world is full of the monsters of myth.

Gwen and Ellie take a girl’s night out before Gwen has to get back to digging. They end up at Dixie’s, a truck stop diner owned by an ex-assassin… Supposedly. The girls are verbally assaulted by Scott the Were-Terrier. Scott, a.k.a. Spot is heavily infatuated with Gwen and lavishes her with expensive collectables. Gwen leaves Dixie’s when she sees someone from her “old life”. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding Gwen. How did she become a Zombie? Why does she still look human? Who was she in her old life? 

Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet #3 – Review

Brett Sr.’s benefit dinner just won’t end. The party is crashed by a bunch of thugs and a woman that may be Kato’s daughter. The night continues with a man calling himself the Black Hornet. He calls out the original Green Hornet, Brett Sr. The elder Brett removes his tie, throws caution into the wind and begins to battle the Black Hornet. Unfortunately he has aged and finds himself without his fighting spirit to help him and is easily overpowered. Kato’s Daughter and Brett Jr. find themselves detained and are forced to watch as his father is murdered before their eyes.

Lost in mourning, Brett Jr. takes to the streets for info about the Hornet.  He makes his way into a seedy bar and smashes the jukebox, only to find him challenged by the biggest man in the room. The big man pulls a gun on Brett, which is quickly taken apart. Kato sits at the bar with the gun pieces and eggs Brett into a fight. The big man no longer wants to fight, so Kato promises not to interfere. Brett, confused and seeking questions, loses the fight forcing Kato to step in anyways. Afterward, Brett and Kato head back to his father’s house and his family secret is revealed to him.

Superman: Secret Origins #3

Superman: Secret Origins, acts as a snap shot into Clark Kent’s life and journey in becoming Superman. This issue focuses on Clark’s first day at the Daily Planet and Metropolis’ first meeting with Superman. Clark is amazed by the big city, so much so that he makes himself late for work while gazing up at the skyscrapers. He makes it to the Daily Planet and is introduced to Rudy Jones, the man who will later become the villain Parasite. After ripping Clark off for his lunch, Jones gives him the run down on the Daily Planet which is on its last leg as a publication.

Siege: Secret Warriors

Rather than interrupting the story-lines of their ongoing titles, Marvel has chosen to release one shot stories that tie into Siege. If you’re not reading Siege, Marvel’s wrap up to Dark Reign, then you may find this story leaving you with more questions than answers. On the other hand if you are following Siege and Secret Warriors then this issue is rich with reward and payoff.

The story begins with Phobos aka Alexander learning of his father Ares’ death. The rest of the Secret Warriors have already taken off towards the battle for Asgard leaving Phobos alone to deal with the news. Phobos flashes back to a conversation he had with his father in which Ares explains that they will both die and be separated. Ares asks his son to honor him and question his death.

Batman and Robin #10

Previously in Batman and Robin: Dick is distraught over his failure to resurrect Bruce with the Lazarus Pits, leaving the question of where his mentor is. Damien has recovered from his injuries from the battle with Flamingo, and now Batman and Robin must start from square one in their search for Bruce. 

Damian keeps the Wayne business on track by assuming his father’s position on the board of directors, while Dick meets with Oberon “Gravedigger” Sexton. Gravedigger details several murders spanning the global by the Domino Killer and new evidence the points to Bruce being the next target. Of course the world still believes that Bruce Wayne is alive and in hiding due to his families supposed history with the Black Glove.

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life

Each medium has its weaknesses. Music, however sublime the piece, can only be experienced through one of five senses. Each subsection of a medium, also has different weaknesses, sometimes due to the constrictions of the format, sometimes due to the definition of how the text is consumed. TV comedies, for all of their brilliant highs, still are remarkably formulaic, and no matter how spectacular the results, the status quo must be kept relatively in tact. Comic books and graphic novels, no matter how mature they have become, regardless of the expansion of what a “comic book” can be about these days, will still be a medium that is catered to the fantasies of young boys and girls (I’m being inclusive here, even though the breakdown is close to 85% boys).

X-Force #26 – Second Coming Chapter 5

In this issue an X-Man dies and it is nearly impossible to tell you about the story without spoiling it for you as well. If you have not seen Marvel’s marketing for the issue then you will go in with some degree of innocence. If you did peak at the ad, then from the recap of this issue you will know who died. I will say who died at the end of the review so consider yourself warned!

Chapter five of X-Men Second Coming invades the pages of X-Force. Cable and Hope have become separated on their journey to find the X-Men, although in Hope’s case, they found her. While divisions of the X-Men are fighting all over the country with Bastion’s evil posse