Review - Titans Volume 2: Made in Manhattan

In order to better control her nascent metahuman abilities, Karen Beecher-Duncan seeks out the aid of Meta Solutions. Unbeknownst to Karen, the organization is run by the nefarious Fearsome Five. When her husband discovers the truth, he enlists the help of the Titans to investigate Meta Solutions’ true motivations before his wife can be drawn into their web.

Titans Volume 2: Made in Manhattan collects Titans issues 7-10, Titans Annual 1 and material from DC Rebirth Holiday Special. It is written by Dan Abnett, with art by Brett Booth and Minkyu Jung.

While the first arc of this Rebirth series focused exclusively on Wally West, Abnett hits his stride by recalibrating the title to make greater use of its ensemble cast. The interpersonal relationships of the Titans are the focal point of this collection and there are many fantastic interactions between the characters, especially between Donna Troy and Roy Harper. Their flirtatious dialogue acts as a way of grounding the book. This emphasis on the interpersonal is ultimately what drives the overarching plot as well. On a superficial level, it’s a pretty standard superhero beat-‘em-up storyline wherein the Titans face off against their long-time foes the Fearsome Five. The catalyst for this conflict is personal. Their friends, Mal and Karen, are directly affected by the Fearsome Five’s actions. To the team, they are family and what does family do when their loved ones are in danger? They go all mama bear.

The fact that Made in Manhattan revolves around Karen Beecher-Duncan (AKA Bumblebee) is bittersweet. I love that she’s finally given some shine after being relegated to the background for so long in comics, but Abnett fails to understand the appeal of the character. She seems to have no prior history as a superhero and her only connection to the Titans is through her husband (ugh). Furthermore, the manifestation of her powers and reliance on the suit Meta Solutions gives her to control them erases her status as the earliest black girl genius in comics. She went from this bad ass inventor who built her own suit in order to fight crime to being someone’s generic wife who is unable to deal with her metahuman abilities. Hell, even Brett Booth’s art lets her down. It’s clear from the way he draws Mal that he has difficulty drawing black hair, so it’s no surprise that he’s basically given Karen a fairly generic vaguely wavy hairstyle. That said, the scene in which Bumblebee takes on the Fearsome Five is worth the price of admission. She kicks ass. Sadly, Karen isn’t the only character that Abnett misses the mark on. Wonder Woman appears in the annual and her treatment of Donna Troy is ridiculously out of character.

As I previously mentioned in my review of the preceding volume from this series, I’m not a fan of Brett Booth’s art. It’s dated and unattractive. It really lowers the quality of what could otherwise be a really great book. This is made all the more evident when it’s contrasted against Minkyu Jung’s gorgeous artwork for the annual collected here. Jung’s art is cleaner and infinitely more dynamic.

Titans Volume 2: Made in Manhattan is a vast improvement over the first trade. It’s action-packed and more deftly handles its ensemble cast. I appreciate the effort that Abnett has put into ensuring that this group reads like a family as that is central to the appeal of the Titans. Unfortunately, the characterization of Bumblebee and Booth’s art chipped away at what would otherwise be a nearly flawless follow-up to the mediocre Rebirth relaunch of the Titans.

RATING: B

Review - Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Volume 1: Who is Oracle?

When a series of correspondences are attributed to Oracle, Batgirl teams up with Black Canary to uncover who is using her former moniker. Along the way they must contend with the interference of the enigmatic Huntress, who is hunting down the mobsters that Oracle appears to be helping.

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Volume 1: Who is Oracle? collects Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #1-6 and Rebirth #1, written by Shawna and Julie Bension with art by Claire Roe and Roge Antonio.

Shawna Benson and Julie Benson do an impeccable job capturing the essence of what makes the Birds of Prey such an enduring comic book. Batgirl and Black Canary’s friendship is front and center. The dialogue features playful jousting between the two women throughout, but there’s a constant sense of sisterhood and trust between them. When Huntress is thrown into the mix, it adds a new dimension to their dynamic. With Batgirl on one end of the morality spectrum and Huntress on the other end, Black Canary fits in neatly in the space between them. The Bensons really understand these characters and they write them well, which is largely what makes this such an enjoyable read.

Where the book misses its mark is in its execution of its storyline. It follows two plot threads – one being the investigation into who is using the name Oracle and the other being the pursuit of the criminal mastermind Fenice. As we learn fairly early on, Fenice is a mobster who is chipping away at the competition in a bid to seemingly become the top boss in Gotham City. These two narratives are what link Batgirl and Black Canary to Huntress. The former two are searching for Oracle, while the latter is going after Fenice. Everything that’s done in relation to Fenice is well done and is quite intriguing, even if it was a little predictable, as it helps to add depth to Huntress’ character. Conversely, the reveal of Oracle’s identity left a lot to be desired. After all of the work put into Frankie Charles’ character in Batgirl, it was bound to be a disappointment to see anyone other than her using the name. Spoiler alert: it’s not Frankie and it is a huge disappointment. To add insult to injury, there’s a profound misunderstanding of what Oracle stands for and what that identity means to people. When it’s revealed that Oracle is not only a dude, but also an able-bodied person, it was a severe misstep in terms of acknowledging why Oracle was such a meaningful character. Regardless of whether this Oracle is meant to be a villain or even stick around very long, his placement in this book was unnecessary. The Bensons could have stuck with the Fenice plotline and it would have been just fine.

The art throughout is consistent and helps to match the often light-hearted dialogue. As such, there’s an expressiveness that each character has. I’m especially fond of seeing how Black Canary’s sass and snark is conveyed visually through her expressions. Similarly, there’s a semi-poignant sequence of panels where Batgirl is being introspective about her identity. She questions whether she is Batgirl or Oracle. It’s a standout in this collection, largely in part due to the art that accompanies it. Additionally, the action scenes are rendered really well. There’s an especially memorable sequence that features Black Canary and Huntress on motorcycles. It’s badass. My one point of contention is Huntress’ design. For one thing, her new outfit is not cute. It seems heavy and looks cobbled together (which I suppose matches Black Canary’s rather uninspired Rebirth ensemble). The cut is unflattering and the lack of a belt certainly doesn’t help matters either. There also seems to be a lack of consistency with her ethnicity, which still requires some definition given how she appears to have gone from black in the pages of Grayson to being racially ambiguous here.

Who is Oracle? truly feels like a return to form for DC’s iconic all-female team. The camaraderie that made the Birds so compelling is on full display and the level of action matches that dynamism. Overall, I enjoy the direction that Shawna and Julie Benson are going in as I feel they have a firm grasp on who these characters are. What would push this book from being pretty decent to being stellar would be if they brought Frankie Charles in as the new Oracle and if Huntress was given a bit of a makeover since what she’s wearing now doesn’t come close to matching her personality.

RATING: B

Review - Titans Volume 1: The Return of Wally West

Having been removed from existence, Wally West has mysteriously returned. He and his friends must work together in order to find the person responsible for his erasure. In the process, he must come to terms with his relationship (or lack thereof) with his one-time love Linda Park and face off against one of his oldest foes.

Titans Volume 1: The Return of Wally West collects Titans: Rebirth #1 and Titans #1-6, written by Dan Abnett and illustrated by Brett Booth.

Put simply, Titans is a deceptively titled series that presents itself as a team book, when in reality it is in fact a Wally West-starring comic with the rest of the Titans in supporting roles. While this is unlikely to be a problem for fans of the Flash, it’s a problem for anyone looking for something that features the Titans in more substantive roles. Wally is front and center in a narrative that sees him confronting classic Flash foe Kadabra, who is responsible for erasing all traces of him from the timeline. While it would stand to reason that the book would primarily deal with the Titans’ various perspectives on this event, it instead focuses primarily on Wally’s complicated relationship with Linda Park. He still remembers a point in time when they were lovers while she has no memory of him whatsoever. The overall thrust thus becomes about whether the pair will fall in love again. Anyone hoping for any kind of depth or development added to any of the other Titans, especially characters like Donna Troy or Lilith who don’t appear in any other books, will be sorely disappointed. They’re merely set dressing, useful only for when the male characters need to flirt or to fill up the panel during action scenes. Sadly, the focus on a rather silly villain and a lack of attention paid to the female members of the Titans did nothing to endear me to this book.

Perhaps a more egregious fault with The Return of Wally West is the cringe-worthy art by Brett Booth.  I wasn’t a fan of his work on the New 52 Teen Titans and I’m still not a fan here. His proportions are wonky and he often gets lazy the smaller characters appear on a panel. As others have mentioned before, his work has a ‘90s quality to it. In fact, I find it to be very reminiscent of Rob Liefeld’s style (just with fewer pouches and shoulder pads).

With a mediocre storyline and subpar art, it’s hard to find a reason to like The Return of Wally West. Perhaps I’d have a sunnier opinion of it were I a fan of Wally West, but unfortunately this book does nothing to make me one. Instead, I find myself frustrated that there’s so little attention paid to the other characters present (all of whom I tend to like more). I’m hopeful future arcs remedy this situation, especially since I rather love the line-up presented here. Lilith, Donna Troy and a sprinkling of Bumblebee? Yes, please! As is, I’d only recommend this one to the Flash fans.

RATING: D+

Review - Wonder Woman Volume 2: Year One

With the outside world in peril, Princess Diana of Themyscira must leave her island paradise to do battle against Ares as he threatens to plunge Earth into darkness. She must depend upon the help of Steve Trevor, Etta Candy, and archaeologist Barbara Ann Minerva to navigate Man’s World and overcome the God of War’s malicious influence.

Wonder Woman Volume 2: Year One collects Wonder Woman issues 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14, written by Greg Rucka and illustrated by Nicola Scott.

When it comes to Wonder Woman, DC’s Rebirth initiative served as a much-needed palate cleanser for the character. Greg Rucka and artist Liam Sharp got the character back on track with TheLies, while Rucka’s partnership with Nicola Scott resulted in a revised take on the iconic character’s origins. Where The Lies was about undoing the damage done to Wonder Woman during The New 52, Year One is about providing a modern and definitive origin for her. There’s just one problem – she already has one. Though it’s been 30 years since George Perez rebooted Wonder Woman’s origins following the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, it remains a classic and is thus difficult to top.

If there’s one thing that is consistent about Year One it’s Rucka and Scott’s acute understanding of Wonder Woman. It is a character-centric arc that plots her development as a naïve princess of a hidden island to a self-assured superheroine. Diana doesn’t have all the answers and she makes mistakes, but she also has the guts and bravery necessary to save the day. In a similar vein, Barbara Ann Minerva ends up being a standout character in her role as Diana’s pseudo-mentor. She’s really the one character who helps Diana understand Man’s World and it adds a really interesting dimension to her as she’d been consistently portrayed as a near-irredeemable villain prior to Rebirth. Rucka and Scott also incorporate Diana’s patron gods into the story, even going so far as to make them crucial to the final conflict. That said, Year One never quite manages to re-capture the magic of Perez’s iconic origins. Though the character work is strong and the overall tone is engaging, it’s remarkably light on action and the stakes are not quite as high as they were in the 1987 reboot.

Year One is buoyed by Nicola Scott’s flawless art. She draws readers in with her lush, detailed pencils. In many ways, Scott falls into the same titanic camp as George Perez and Phil Jimenez with her work. I’ve long said that Scott is one of the best when it comes to drawing Wonder Woman. She understands the costuming, the body language, and the optimism of the character better than most. She’s also adept at differentiating characters from one another, which is something many comic book artists often fail to do. I especially love how striking Queen Hippolyta is. I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t appreciate the fact that she gives us copious amounts of panel time of Steve Trevor in various stages of undress. It’s a really fascinating way of subverting the male gaze by catering more to a female (and gay male) gaze. It’s brilliant.

Wonder Woman Volume 2: Year One is a commendable redo of Wonder Woman’s origins. It’s accessible and entertaining with gorgeous artwork throughout. Though it’s light on action, it has a lot of great character moments that are enough to draw readers in. There have been many creators in recent years who have tried their hand at revising Wonder Woman’s origins – some have been successful (Renae De Liz), while others have been wildly off base (Grant Morrison). Thankfully, Rucka and Scott sit comfortably in the success end of the spectrum.

RATING: B+

Review: Uncanny X-Men Volume 4 - Vs. S.H.I.E.L.D.

Following a heinous Sentinel strike, the war bubbling between Cyclops’ X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D. reaches a fever pitch. Unwilling to sit idly by while more mutants are harmed, Cyclops takes the fight to the international spy organization apparently responsible for the Sentinels’ actions. Then, Dazzler is finally freed from captivity at Mystique’s hands. Angry and bitter over what she’s been through, she intends to get revenge on the shapeshifting femme fatale.

Uncanny X-Men Volume 4: Vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. collects Uncanny X-Men #19-24, written by Brian Michael Bendis and with art by Chris Bachalo and Kris Anka.

This collection is typical of Bendis’ ho-hum direction on the X-Men titles during the Marvel Now! initiative. It’s all build up with no pay-off. The X-Men’s conflict against S.H.I.E.L.D. had been simmering since the onset of this title and “Vs. S.H.I.E.L.D.” attempts to resolve that as a four issue arc. After a Sentinel attack, an incensed Cyclops determines to hold S.H.I.E.L.D. responsible for their actions. This leads to a blow out on the front lawn of the Jean Grey School and the discovery of who is truly pulling the strings. The climax is unimpressive and the reveal isn’t terribly shocking, so the arc feels somewhat deflated as a whole. As can be expected from Bendis, there’s a lot of dialogue and some great character moments (there’s a great scene telepathic exchange between Cyclops and Maria Hill, for example). The primary narrative itself just didn’t click for me. Personally, the more interesting story here involves Mystique’s usage of Dazzler as her personal mutant growth hormone factory, but this is relegated to subplot status and is only referenced cursorily in the aftermath.

The “Vs. S.H.I.E.L.D.” arc leads into the tie-in for Original Sin, which is framed as a two-parter named “The Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier.” In it, She-Hulk obtains Xavier’s will and is responsible for reading it to those named in the contents. Cyclops is hauled back to the Jean Grey School, where several “shocking” revelations are made about Xavier’s past. The quotes are necessary as Bendis seems to be putting in overtime to really try and surprise readers with plot twists. The problem is the twists are unwanted in every possible way. I was rolling my eyes so hard I’m surprised I didn’t catch a glimpse into the back of my brain. Consider this a spoiler warning. The first big plot twist is that Professor Xavier is married to Mystique and so all of his property now belong to her. It’s a really unnecessary development that feels like it’s either a remnant of the Ultimate Universe or was inspired by the First Class trilogy. Either way, it feels out of place and is just plain messy. It’s bad enough that Bendis treats Mystique like she’s the only damn X-Men villain around. The other twist is that there’s this uber powerful mutant that Xavier has kept secret for decades and now the X-Men have to go find him before he destroys everything. It’s a revelation that left me with a feeling of a déjà vu since it seems like a re-packaging of Proteus and Jean Grey.

Uncanny X-Men Volume 4: Vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t ever reach its full potential. It’s bogged down by far too much dialogue and exposition, as well as puzzling plot twists. The artwork done by superstars Chris Bachalo and Kris Anka gives the book a premium feel, elevating the quality above what we’re getting on the story front. Though the cast is likeable and the plot elements are interesting enough, Bendis seems to be spending most of his time setting up future plotlines and recycling old ones rather than creating a compelling arc with an explosive climax.

RATING: C

Review: Earth 2 Volume 3 - Battle Cry

After staging a violent coup, Steppenwolf becomes the ruler of the nation of Dherain and immediately engages in a war with the World Army. The wonders of Earth unite against this threat, but Steppenwolf’s warriors may be too powerful for them to defeat. Meanwhile, Hawkgirl continues her search for answers regarding the death of Green Lantern’s fiancé.

Earth 2 Volume 3: Battle Cry collects Earth 2 #13-16, Earth 2 Annual #1, and Earth 2 #15.1, written by James Robinson and illustrated by Nicola Scott. Additional writing is by Paul Levitz and art by Yildiray Cinar.

Battle Cry is a bit of a mess. Where the previous two collections featured some solid character development, this one fails to deliver on that end and instead focuses on a war between the World Army and Steppenwolf that doesn’t quite get the build-up it needed. There are also numerous subplots – namely the introduction of a mysterious new Batman, Fury’s pursuit of Mister Miracle and Big Barda, and Hawkgirl’s investigation into the death of Sam Zhao. As such, Robinson is throwing too much at the reader and doesn’t spend nearly enough time developing the cast he’s reinvented. I would have preferred for him to focus more on Hawkgirl, Fury, and Big Barda since the few female characters in Earth 2 have very little to do.

There are some highlights to this trade. I really enjoyed Robinson’s take on Commander Steel (named Captain Steel in this series). He manages to reinvent the character’s origin in order to make him more relatable and to increase the diverse representation Earth 2 has become known for. He’s a character I’d loved to have seen more of, but he’s sadly not folded into the main cast. Robinson manages to get in a few good twists as well. The appearance of a new Batman adds intrigue (though the cover to this trade kind of spoils that surprise) and there’s a surprising reveal during the battle against Steppenwolf that I certainly didn’t predict. Finally, Nicola Scott’s art continues to be excellent throughout. The men she draws continue to be scrumptious and I’m glad that she’s finally given more women to draw besides Hawkgirl.

This is the final volume collecting James Robinson’s work on Earth 2 (he is replaced by Tom Taylor by issue 17) and he unfortunately goes out with more of a whimper than a bang. He began the series with a lot great ideas and concepts, reinventing Golden Age characters brilliantly for a modern audience. After two decently entertaining arcs, he stumbled with this collection and ended up delivering a lead-up to Taylor’s run rather than neatly tying up the loose ends of his own. The art and high octane action compensates for this, but the drop in quality is far too noticeable not to lament.

RATING: C+

Review: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal (Season One)

After a chance encounter with a talking cat, 14-year-old Usagi Tsukino is transformed into the superhero Sailor Moon. She is charged with defeating the sinister Dark Kingdom alongside her allies Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus, while also looking for the mysterious Moon Princess and the mystical Legendary Silver Crystal. Along the way she meets the dashing Tuxedo Mask, an enigmatic figure whose motives remain unknown.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal is the 2014 anime reboot based off of the manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. Its first season consists of 14 episodes and features the voice talents of Kotono Mitsuishi, Hisako Kanemoto, Rina Sato, Ami Koshimizu and Shizuka Ito.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal is the most faithful adaptation that’s been produced from Naoko Takeuchi’s seminal manga series. It adapts the original story chapter-for-chapter, using the dialogue and panel work from the first arc as its blueprint. This works wonderfully in order to set the tone and create a consistent pace. Tonally, Crystal is more dramatic than its predecessor and comedy is seldom utilized. At times this hinders the first season, particularly as it hinders character growth, but it also keeps things cohesive. It is also much darker in its imagery and finer plot details, particularly as we see the destruction caused by the enemy. This contributes to a feeling of maturity within the series, thus allowing audiences to take the characters more seriously and increasing the stakes and tension.

The narrative of the first season of Crystal unfolds seamlessly and without interruption or unnecessary subplots, unlike its filler-riddled predecessor. In the first episode, Usagi transforms into Sailor Moon in order to save her friend Naru from a monster. From there, Ami (Sailor Mercury), Rei (Sailor Mars) and Makoto (Sailor Jupiter) are introduced in rapid succession. This moves the plot along at a brisk pace and allows the audience to warm to these characters quicker. Their mission is clear from the onset as well – they must find the Moon Princess and the Legendary Silver Crystal. The Sailor Guardians don’t waste copious amounts of time merely reacting to enemy schemes nor do the villains embark on assignments that only serve to decelerate the plot. The original anime was most frequently caught in a monster-of-the-week storytelling formula that created uneven pacing and saw the introduction of numerous (often inane) villainous subplots. Where it took 34 episodes in the original to reveal the identity of the Moon Princess and the location of the Legendary Silver Crystal, it takes a mere nine in Crystal. This does mean that Crystal benefits from being binge-watched, since it is purposely plotted so that each episode leads into the next and not a second is wasted on filler. By following the manga more closely and through the benefit of retrospect, the first season of Crystal plays out like one long film. This is further emphasized by its explosive (stock footage-free) action sequences and timeless orchestral score.

While Crystal is very faithful to its source text, it also deviates in ways that help the series to feel fresh and new. For instance, many of the hyper stylized comical character reactions have been excised in favour of portraying the characters more realistically. The biggest change though is that the Shitennou are not killed off individually early on in the story. Instead, they survive the attacks lobbed at them by the Sailor Guardians and remain as a unified team until close to the season’s finale. This helps to contrast them against the versions we’ve seen in both the original anime and the live-action, where they were prone to in-fighting and never quite managed to work in unison. Crystal also makes canon the notion that the Shitennou and the Sailor Guardians were lovers in their past lives, which adds an interesting layer to their backstories. Additionally, it complicates matters for the Sailor Guardians. In their past lives they loved these men, but are now forced to do battle against them. Another change, which I found to be less effective, was made to Queen Beryl’s demise. Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say that I prefer her (rather gruesome) death in the manga rather than the somewhat contrived one she’s given in this series.

While its storytelling is on point, Crystal struggles with character development. On one hand, this series gives us one of the most organic and relatable versions we’ve seen of Usagi and Mamoru’s relationship. Usagi as a character feels much more tangible than other portrayals, as she grows tremendously from the first episode until the season’s conclusion. She’s not a walking caricature who vacillates from comic relief to fierce warrior at the drop of a hat. Similarly, Mamoru doesn’t come across as a one-note character whose sole purpose is to provide pep talks to the lead heroine. He’s a complex and tortured character, but he’s also warm and caring. Since both characters are portrayed more realistically, we’re able to take their relationship more seriously. As you can imagine, the scenes between these two characters are some of the best in the first season. On the other hand, every other character feels tragically underdeveloped. The dialogue and voice work do absolutely nothing to hint at distinctive personalities for the Sailor Guardians. Ami and Minako fare the best. Ami’s intelligence is utilized throughout, while we get to see Minako’s take-charge attitude and a bit of her goofy side. Even still, Crystal would have benefitted from injecting personality into their words and actions. This would mean making Makoto’s lines gruffer and having her be more impulsive in battle, while also emphasizing Rei’s distrust of men (which is mentioned in passing, but not elaborated upon) and playing up her cool girl demeanour. This personality problem is also relevant to the Shitennou. Since they’re given more screentime, it would stand to reason that the writers and producers would make more of an effort to actually flesh them out. Sadly, they don’t. They would have done well to heed Naoko Takeuchi’s character notes for them – Jadeite is the serious one, Nephrite is the emotional one, Zoisite is the manipulative one, and Kunzite is the quiet storm.

The elephant in the room when it comes to Crystal is its animation. Its rushed production seems to have translated into some rather rough work that does the first season absolutely no favours. The characters are so often awkwardly drawn that it makes it difficult to appreciate how good this first season is. It’s unfortunate since the aesthetic of the series is actually very strong and is far more cohesive than its predecessor. The character models are elegant and feminine while the overall look of the show is achieved through pale tones and more detailed settings, all of which help to contribute towards a whimsical feeling. The original anime was notable for featuring numerous animation directors, all of whom had very different styles, thus creating differing quality from episode to episode. Crystal has the same style throughout, but it’s undermined far too often by its aforementioned sloppy animation. As a side note, it also would have benefitted the animators to actually depict the Sailor Guardians with more meat on their bones. Naoko Takeuchi herself said she wished she’d depicted Usagi a bit chubbier and giving them larger frames would have actually fixed many of the awkward poses we see the girls in.

Overall, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal’s first season is massively entertaining and rather addicting to watch. I admire and appreciate its adherence to the manga, as no other adaptation has been this faithful before. It allows wider audiences the opportunity to appreciate Naoko Takeuchi’s hard work on her epic and poignantly romantic first arc. In doing so, Crystal has the best pacing and narrative structure of any other adaptation of Sailor Moon. It also smartly improves upon some of the manga’s weaker points as well. The manga’s rather weak action sequences are elaborated upon and transformed into high octane spectacles, while its quick disposal of villains is ignored in favour of keeping the Shitennou around for a much longer period of time. If I judging Crystal solely on its story, then I’d say that it’s the best adaptation we’ve got thus far. Sadly, its animation and poor character development are glaring flaws that cannot be ignored. The first season is pretty damn good, but it’s also not the best it could have been.

RATING: B+