I wish I was at the New York Comic-Con this weekend. I’ve been twice so far, but it’s been a few years since my last visit. Though if I was in New York, I couldn’t pick up Pokemon X later today. So I guess there are trade-offs. But there seems to be a lot of cool comic book news coming out of the Comic-Con, and I’m definitely the kind of guy that finds that exciting.

Speaking of comics, how about this week’s reviews? We’ve got a super-sized issue of Batman that’s pretty good, and the first issue of Superman/Wonder Woman, which could be better. We’ve also got the continuing chapters of Infinity, Battle of the Atom and Lights Out, one of which is better than the others. In fact, and I’m kind of shocked that I’m saying this, but I think my Comic Book of the Week has to go to Infinity #4! I know! I’m appalled myself!

But when Battle of the Atom delivers its worst issue yet, and Infinity delivers its best, that sort of thing leads to Opposite Day.

Hopefully this isn’t going to be the case going forward. Though I wouldn’t mind if both Infinity and Battle of the Atom were good.

Comic Reviews: Batman #24, Green Lantern Corps #24, Infinity #4, Superman/Wonder Woman #1, Thor: God of Thunder #14, and X-Men #6.

Batman #24

Batman #24
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo

I am very much enjoying Scott Snyder’s Batman opus, but there’s something fairly standard about the whole affair. I think I’ve felt this way for a long time, but Batman #24 really underlines my feelings. Snyder isn’t really trying anything overly daring or shocking with the franchise. He’s just writing some really good Batman stories. Don’t get me wrong, the writing is top notch and Capullo’s art is absolutely spectacular. But it’s all just very plain.

The final battle between the newly christened Batman and the Red Hood Gang begins! The Batman has started appearing around the city after Bruce decided last issue on the bat theme, but that hasn’t slowed down the Red Hood Gang’s final plan for Gotham. After a meeting with his uncle, Bruce figures out the Gang’s last step: using ACE Chemicals to crate a radioactive poison to destroy Gotham City. So Bruce holds a press conference revealing this scheme to the media while standing right in front of ACE. This kicks off the final battle as Bruce, Batman, Alfred and Gordon take on the Red Hood Gang to stop their toxin. Bruce’s uncle is murdered by the leader of the Gang, who then faces off with Batman over vats of chemicals. And sure enough, the leader falls into one of the vats. Joker, anybody?

Though Batman does point out that since nobody really knows who was under the hood, it wasn’t necessarily the same guy the whole time. Maybe he switched places months ago, weeks ago or minutes ago. Nobody will ever really know.

The issue ends with the Riddler announcing his arrival in Gotham, kicking off the next Zero Year storyline.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

I don’t know why this issue had to be double-sized, but it was, and that’s fine. And like I said earlier, it’s just a pretty standard story. Batman figures out the villain’s scheme and puts a stop to it. There’s a big fight, Commissioner Gordon shows up with the cops, Alfred helps out from behind-the-scenes, and the battle ends with some mysteries left unsolved. Uncle Phillip died because he had to, since he isn’t alive in the present day. Snyder made sure to add in enough confusion that we don’t really know if this is the origin of the Joker. And that’s that. It’s a good read, it’s entertaining, and it’s definitely Batman. I can see why other people are blown away by Snyder’s work, and I definitely like it. But it just isn’t reaching me on any deeper level.

Maybe it’s the lack of Robin…

GLC #24

Green Lantern Corps #24
Writer: Van Jensen
Artist: Bernard Chang

Lights Out continues, and this new chapter fulfills the promise that there are big shake-ups to the franchise with the new creative teams. I’m fine with that. Geoff Johns spent years on his GL status quo, so I think we’re due for some kind of change-up – even if I loved everything Geoff Johns did with the franchise. Still, I’m willing to see where we go from here – even though I’ve dropped almost every GL book from my pull list.

With Oa on the verge of destruction, Hal and the Green Lantern Corps begin a massive exodus. Jon Stewart and some of the other GLs try to distract Relic while the others make their escape. All of the prisoners in the Sciencecells are also allowed to go free, because why not? Everyone makes it off-planet in time before Oa explodes. Now the GLs are scattered, and Relic is on his way to the next corps.

Comic Rating: 5/10 – Alright.

I kind of think Relic exists just to remake the GL franchise how the new creative teams want. He’s destroyed the Blue Lantern Corps and now he’s blown up Oa. He’s big enough and powerful enough to just reshape the whole thing without the need for more complex explanations. It’s fine, but doesn’t make for a good story. This issue is just everyone fleeing from Relic as he smashes stuff. Jensen tries to create a few powerful moments, like one Lantern sacrificing himself to take on the big guy, but I didn’t know the Lantern, so his sacrifice meant little. And I’ve never been particularly married to Oa, so it’s no biggie seeing it blown up.

Mostly I just think they’re blowing these things up for the shock value instead of any actual plot reason. If anything, this issue could have used a more dramatic artist. This issue should have been like that scene at the end of The Matrix Reloaded, when Morpheus had to watch his ship get blown up, and his dreams go up in smoke with it. That’s what I think the characters should be feeling at the destruction of Oa. Instead, the issue is drawn very frantically, and nobody really seems all that bothered by the destruction. I want to feel a better sense of the GLs being at the end of their ropes, like true refugees, but I’m not getting any of that.

Also, is it too late to complain about the lack of Simon Baz?

Infinity #4

Infinity #4
Writer: Johnathan Hickman
Artists: Jerome Opena and Dustin Weaver

There are only two issues left of the main Infinity mini-series, and I have no idea how Hickman plans to unite his two separate storylines. Is he even going to bother? What do the Builders have to do with Thanos and his assault on Earth? What does any of this have to do with the title ‘Infinity’? Is there any deeper meaning or point to any of this? I’ve been complaining all along that the Builders are ridiculously generic, and that doesn’t change with this issue. In fact, things almost get a little worse. But overall, thanks to some strong character moments, Infinity #4 becomes the best of the series so far.

Also, this issue is the start of Inhumanity, but it’s as boring as I expected it to be.

On Earth, Thanos and Black Bolt do battle in the wreckage of Attilan. Thanos is apparently strong enough to withstand a point blank blast of Black Bolt’s screams, for some reason, so he just whomps on the Inhuman king until Black Bolt is defeated. Also, the scream/bomb that Black Bolt set off created a Terrigen Mist storm across the entire planet, setting up the Inhumanity event that Marvel has coming up next. Every person across the planet with Inhuman DNA in them undergoes sudden Terrogenesis, getting super powers. This includes Thane, Thanos’ son, whose Terrogenesis just so happens to kill everyone in his village.

In space, Captain America sends Thor down to the Kree homeworld to negotiate their surrender to the Builder. But while the Builder is gloating about Thor kneeling, Thor guts him with a secret attack from Mjolnir. And since the Builders decided to air this surrender across all space networks, everybody has now seen that the Builders can be broken. This inspires Ronan and all of the Accusers to join the war.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

I am not disliking Infinity. It’s a solidly made comic, and when Hickman actually focuses on the Avengers, it’s actually pretty good. Hickman knows how to set up a scene and pay it off to maximum effect. The whole moment where Captain America reveals he sent Thor as his diplomat is cool, and then Thor destroying that Builder is very badass. As is Thor marshaling the forces of the Kree Accusers. But man oh man, who really gives a crap about the Builders? So what if this proves they can be beaten? We all knew they were going to be beaten because simple logic tells us that they won’t succeed in destroying the Earth. So the good guys were always going to win eventually. That part of the story is as dull as can be, so we’re at least a little bit fortunate that Hickman can spice it up with some fun character scenes.

The Earth-bound story is a little more ridiculous, unfortunately. When did Thanos get so strong as to simply be able to clamp his hand over Black Bolt’s screaming mouth? That just felt really, really bogus to me. Then he just kills Black Bolt, I think. But who cares? Black Bolt died only a few years ago at the end of War of Kings. He’ll be back. But why did Black Bolt’s plan involve spreading Terrogenesis across the globe? What does that possibly accomplish for Black Bolt or the Inhumans? It sets up Marvel’s next big Inhumanity event sure, but what does it do for Black Bolt? Why would he activate such a bomb? Why would he do such a thing to the world?

I’m not convinced this is a good thing. So a few hundred people across the planet develop random super-powers? Who cares? Marvel recently the exact same thing last year when the Phoenix reactivated the mutant gene at the end of Avengers vs. X-Men. How is this any different? Why re-do the exact same thing two years in a row?

Possibly because Marvel don’t own the movie rights to ‘mutants’ but still want to use the idea of people born with super-powers. So this is their way of setting up Inhumans as being important, but it sounds silly to me. As far as I’m concerned, this Inhumanity thing is starting off on the wrong foot, and the arrival of Thane, son of Thanos, does not make it any better.

Superman/Wonder Woman #1

Superman/Wonder Woman #1
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Tony S. Daniel

I am not opposed to a relationship between Superman and Wonder Woman. But I don’t like how DC has gone about building up this relationship. And fortunately, DC is kind enough to provide their own counterpoint.

In the pages of Wonder Woman’s solo comic, writer Brian Azzarello has been building up the relationship between Wonder Woman and Orion, the New God. They started out butting heads, and over the course of the series, they’ve bickered, bantered, gotten to know each other, showed each other their softer sides, stuck up for one another; and it’s been fantastic! I would love for Orion and Wonder Woman to hook up because Azzarello really put in the leg work for their relationship. I’m invested in it.

Compare that to what DC has done for Superman and Wonder Woman, which they clearly view as a marketing stunt more than anything else. The relationship was announced in a press release, intent on grabbing all the comic book news site headlines for that day. Then sure enough, Superman and Wonder Woman kissed in the next issue of Justice League with absolutely no build up. From then on, they were just a couple, and we were repeatedly told they were a couple, even though there has been very little romantic interaction between either of them in Justice League – and absolutely none in Wonder Woman’s solo comic. I’m not reading either of the Superman comics, but she definitely hasn’t shown up in Superman Unchained.

Yet to reinforce that this relationship is ‘totally a legit thing guys’, here comes the first issue of Superman/Wonder Woman. It’s not a bad start, but the relationship still rings completely hollow.

Clark Kent and Diana go through their daily lives interacting with some of their supporting cast (or at least Clark does). Both are a little unsure about their relationship, but then they meet for dinner later in England, where they continue talking about how unsure they are in their relationship. They seem as unsure about it as I do. Clark wants to keep it a secret, Diana does not. Then they decide to respond together to a massive storm in the North Atlantic. While Clark flies some pilots to safety, Diana is first confronted by some military guys, who think they were hurting those pilots, and then by Doomsday all of a sudden.

Comic Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.

Romance is at the heart of fiction and always will be. Even famous epics like Star Wars and Harry Potter have romance at their core. It’s the backbone of everything. So I can completely understand why DC would want to do something as new and groundbreaking as putting Superman and Wonder Woman into a serious, committed relationship. But they are going about it all wrong. I have to believe that there are writers at DC who understand how to properly build a romance. I just wish those people weren’t drowned out by the marketing executives who are more concerned with announcing the relationship than actually experiencing it.

I wanted to like this issue, and it’s fine for what it is, but it’s nothing special. I don’t think Superman and Wonder Woman even share a single kiss. There’s no chemistry between them. They are Superman and Wonder Woman, and they tell each other they are in a relationship because that’s what marketing decided. Soule does a fine job handling the characters themselves, and Daniel draws a great comic, but this series is missing the most important part. There’s no intimacy, no chemistry, no nuance or romance. I appreciate the focus on the two heroes as human beings, but Soule has a lot of work ahead of him to convince me that this romance has heart.

And the random appearance of Doomsday at the end doesn’t do the villain any favors whatsoever.

Thor #14

Thor: God of Thunder #14
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Ron Garney

I think the Godbutcher storyline was Jason Aaron’s one really great Thor story idea, and now that it’s out of the way, he’s kind of just coasting. I think someone told him to tell a Malekith story because of the upcoming movie, and this is just Aaron whipping up a fun little romp in Thor’s corner of the MU. It’s fine, because Aaron is great on the character, but it’s not as impressive as Godbutcher.

Thor is ready to lead an army of Asgardians against Malekith, but he’s stopped by the All-Mother. It seems the Congress of Worlds has met to decide what to do about Malekith, and they’ve put together a cross-species team of awesome heroes, to be led by Thor. So the God of Thunder teams up with a high elf, a dwarf, a troll, a giant and that dark elf woman from last issue to take on Malekith and his army, who have invaded a dwarven mine in order to assassinate the dark elf queen in hiding. The battle is fierce and haphazard because nobody seems to be able to work together all that well. The queen is killed and Malekith escapes, so Thor tells his team that they will be better, and next time they will stop Malekith or die trying.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

Man oh man, I really want to like this team of random warriors. I look at them and I think that Aaron could be crafting some new, long-lasting Thor supporting characters. Ud the Troll is a particular favorite of mine from this one issue alone. But as cool and fun as they all seem, I can’t help but feel that Aaron just whipped them off for this one story, and that’s it. He created a bunch of easy to digest characters for this one adventure, and that they won’t matter in the long run. That is a crying shame.

But such is this story as a whole. There aren’t many stakes to this Malekith plot. We all know the villain is only in this comic because of the movie, and Aaron has given him a pretty basic goal: kill all the dark elves. I don’t know what sort of history the dark elves have in Thor’s mythology, but I can’t imagine they’re all that important. Who really cares that the dark elf queen was murdered in this issue? And really, Thor’s team only lost because Aaron had one of his new characters mess up. That’s twice Thor has come face-to-face with Malekith, and twice the villain has managed to slip through Thor’s fingers almost solely because the plot demands it. So it kind of feels like Aaron is just killing time with funny new characters waiting until the appropriate climax to defeat Malekith. But oh man, I want Ud the Troll and Thor to become begrudging pals!

X-Men #6

X-Men #6
Writer: Brian Wood
Artist: David Lopez

As much as I’ve enjoyed Brian Wood’s X-Men, I have to say that his issues of Battle of the Atom have been the weakest. He’s a little too pre-occupied with thrusting Jubilee and Shogo into the spotlight even though they don’t fit at all and don’t really matter to the plot at large. This issue especially is the Jubilee and Shogo Show, with everything else crumbling behind them.

When the X-Men return to the Jean Grey School, the Future Team reveal their true colors when they find out that Young Iceman and Young Beast have run off with Magik. They attack the X-Men and take them down, then take control of the Jean Grey School, because they know that the other X-Men team from the future has come back to stop them. Sure enough, Cyclops, the Uncanny X-Men and the other Future X-Men are outside, preparing their attack. They are soon joined by Jubilee and Psylocke, who managed to escape the surprise attack. And Sentinel-X from the future reveals himself to be an adult version of Shogo, Jubilee’s new baby.

Oh also, Future Kitty Pryde was revealed to be a blue-skinned son of Wolverine. And further also, they’ve decided to incorporate the fact that Wolverine has lost his healing factor in one of his solo series for some random reason.

Comic Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.

Why did the Future X-Men suddenly reveal themselves? All this time, they have come across as perfectly reasonable, but one little set back and all of a sudden Future Xavier is a Chatty Cathy who starts insulting people around him. I don’t think he’s said three lines in this entire story, and now all of a sudden he’s going on insane rants that give them away. Then they just drop the facade entirely and go totally evil. Their cover was still holding at that point, so why risk everything by revealing themselves?

Oh wait, their cover wasn’t still holding. Because all of a sudden, minutes before it happens, Wolverine reveals to Rachel that he thinks something is suspicious about the Future X-Men. Really!? All this time, Wolverine has gone along with the Future X-Men just fine. But the moment before they reveal they’re bad guys, he has to announce that he totally saw it coming? Is there some rule that says Wolverine can’t be duped?

Just because we readers know that there is another Future X-Men team out there, and that the first team might be bad guys, does not mean the writers have to drop the facade. Who’s to say that the second team of Future X-Men is totally good? Why not let the drama play out some more instead of just forcing these people into the villain role?

I’m still enjoying Battle of the Atom, but this issue made a lot of missteps. I don’t know if I can blame Brian Wood or not, but it happened in his book. At least he’s definitely to blame for too much Jubilee.

The comics I review in my Hench-Sized reviews are just the usual comics I pick up from my local shop any given week, along with a few impulse buys I might try on a whim. So if there are any comics or series you’d like me to review each week, let me know in the comments!