The CW hits the jackpot with Crisis on Earth X

I've seen it everywhere online, including from good friends (my old pal Donald messaged me one episode in to proclaim his love for it) that the CW crossover event, CRISIS ON EARTH X was a fun, comic book romp.

Mark Waid (comic writer/creator) took to Twitter to declare that it was perhaps his favorite comic book to film ever.

And I am happy to see such outpouring of love. This 4 part crossover was nothing short of pure joy to watch, start to finish. It was a comic book crossover come to life. No wonder they used the old JLA/JSA crossover concept to sell the event in the months leading up:

I used to love those regular team ups from across the multi-verse to tackle ultimate evil that only a collection of super teams could accomplish.

The CW likes doing these team ups each year, starting several years back with Arrow and The Flash, then continuing with The Flash and Supergirl, then last year with a (mostly) 4 show crossover with Legends of Tomorrow joining the fun. However, last year's INVASION felt a little smallish for such a big event. (Kind of like how empty that airport looked in CAPTAIN AMERICA CIVIL WAR in comparison to how it should have, and wanted to look and feel).

And how could you not love the idea of mad Nazis from a dark world getting punched and slain by super heroes?

Everything was perfect this time around. The humor was great, the action was choreographed to a cinematic scale, and the gravity of the situation was right out of the pages of classic comics.

Also, the emotional weight of several subplots threaded their way perfectly through the episodes without taking away from the overarching tale being told.

To have pulled this off on a TV budget is nothing short of miraculous. Of course, to save some money, they confined some actors and set pieces to the sidelines or to their own shows. The Atom, Steel, Black Canary, Mr Terrific, Wild Dog and others didn't get to come out and fully play for the whole crossover, but when they did arrive it made sense and they made it count.

In many ways I can't imagine how they could have done it any better. The bar has been raised, and the potential of them taking it even higher next season (and beyond) has me very excited.

Sure, it took me a few years to get used to the reality of the DC TV U, which is quite different from the comics or the movie worlds. But like the comics, once you embrace the TV U as its own thing, and stop looking for continuity that fits into the other worlds, it is a great ride. They have created quite a fun universe to play in, and they are holding true to it and building on it with interesting layers.

I have finally given up my discomfort with Oliver and Felicity, and stopped waiting for the Arrow and Canary to find their way together. I have finally realized that Booster and Beetle won't show up on Legends, because The Atom and Steel are essentially those personalities (with Rory as Guy Gardner). I have committed myself to not judging too harshly the unfolding Legion story on Supergirl, since they OBVIOUSLY are deviating wildly from what we have known and loved. But it is Earth 38 that Kara is on. So, we can all have our own versions secure in our hearts and let these also play out.

Plus, its all made up stuff anyway. Let it be what it is, and enjoy it as such.

Major kudos to William Katt (The Greatest American Hero) for a tiny role as the priest on the crossover, and it was a great little hint that has Legion fans going nuts to see what they think could be XS as a waitress at the wedding. (She is a 31st century relative of Barry Allen who is part of the reboot Legion). Clearly she has more to do, since they cast Jessica Parker Kennedy of Black Sails in the role, and it seems like there's something going on with her deliberate interaction with Barry.

Let me take some time to also commend the creative forces behind the shows for continuing to be pro-LGBT and to approach it without a heavy hand. The Sarah and Alex hook up and ripples from it were deftly done. As was the arrival of The Ray in a concentration camp for being gay on Earth X, and his relationship with a decidedly delightful turn on Captain Cold.

Everyone got to shine during the run of episodes, including Iris and Felicity teaming up as the non-hero girlfriends who have to fend off the baddies.

And who doesn't love the good guys turned evil from another world takes that Stephen Amell and Melissa Benoist got to deliver as dark Arrow and Ubergirl! Plus we get Tom Cavennagh back as Reverse Flash.

A major character death and the fallout from it in the final episode was heart-wrenching, and packed more of a punch than you might have expected as well.

All in all, this was simply the most fun time you could want to have with these super heroes. They were all at their finest and the fact that the actors clearly relished the material and brought their A games to it helped to make this a comic book fan's dream come true.

Now, if only the shows will still be airing in 2024, when they have hinted at:

Final seasons for The Flash and Supergirl, no doubt. Well, if they stick to continuity....

Justice for Justice League

I saw Justice League today. I really, really liked it. Yes. I really did.

Did I love it? No. But I don't "love" a lot of movies. Of course it was not perfect. It is hard to find a movie that is.

First, here are a couple of quibbles:

The 2 hour run time made it feel like there were some things left out that we would have benefited from seeing. (I'm eager to see an Extended Cut release)

The world felt small, and for a world shattering event like the one unfolding, there was very little sense of the outside world and its reaction to what was going on. This was disappointing, as the world wide peril would have been massive, and the initial minutes of the movie set a perfect tone to propel this notion. I can only imagine that it was due to trimming and tone changes between the more earthy Snyder and the more airy Whedon.

SPOILER: Bringing back Superman felt odd and lacked some serious set up and it felt like it was kind of shoe-horned into the whole thing.

Joss Whedon's ham-fisted humor landed with thud more often than it hit. Sure, the Flash quips worked, but what was up with that odd dude reporter who randomly interrupts Lois and Martha to talk about basically nothing for a minute of valuable screen time that could have been better used elsewhere.

The Russian family and their little journey under the Steppenwolf dome was useless to the overall script and story.

Martha Kent, Commissioner Gordon and Mera felt like thow away roles.

Ben Affleck seemed to be too self-aware in his acting at times, as if he were really tense about fan reaction and timid to do anything that would draw their hair-triggered ire.

Surfer dude Aquaman takes some getting used to, but was not something that made or broke the film for me. And the Atlanteans felt like they were way undersold in the film. Maybe saving for the solo outing.

Now, for the positives:

The opening 10 minutes were fantastic. The tone and the street level perspective gives this movie something that Marvel movies miss (a sense of what real people feel and see in the shadow of super heroes)

Despite its variation to the real origin story, Barry/The Flash was a nice bit of youthful levity amid the more stoic proceedings. I was ready to hate him because of my affection for the TV Barry, but Ezra Miller made it his own, and made it feel right in the mix.

Wonder Woman continues to bring smiles.

The drama between Bruce and Diana and their growing friendship and trust felt really sincere and solid. I believe in the relationship, and in their struggle with Superman's death and its aftermath. The writing was spot on in the moments where there was needed emotional weight between them, as well as Lois and Clark (except for a handful of dumbass Whedon jokes wedged in there awkwardly).

The Amazons continue to kick ass.

Cyborg and Flash bonding was nice, though Cyborg did feel under-used overall.


All in all, this movie was a great joy to watch. The bonus scene of The Flash wanting to race Superman was perfect fan service, while fitting for their characters. The Luthor and Deathstroke bonus scene, hinting at The Legion Of Doom, was awesome. And it should be a priority for DC to make THAT the next JL movie. And they should do all they can do the get Affleck to stay on for one more or two more flicks. JL 2: Legion of Doom and JL 3: Darkseid.

There is no reason that Justice League should not be a massive hit, and secure a long and healthy future for DC's heroes. This movie out classes many of the Marvel movies easily. It is better than Avengers 2, both of the first two Thor movies, Iron Man 2, Civil War (yes, I said it), and it can't be compared evenly with Ant Man, Guardians or Doctor Stange (which are all in their own separate kind of movie spaces). I liked BvS a bit better (thanks to its more consistent tone and storytelling) and I think JL does a good job following Wonder Woman. I hated Suicide Squad after a promising first half hour. (So I'm not in the bag for DC, lest anyone wants to accuse.)

However, I do think that DC and Warner's (like Affleck in the role of Batman) were WAY too self-conscious about the so-called critical backlash to BvS, and they allowed that to get into their heads too much. Forcing quips and jokes and tone shifts into the movie in several places just distracted and stood out to me. It was like they were trying too hard to say "hey, look, we're doing what you all say you want, and want you to love us and give us credit for catering to your whims and sacrificing our overall story at the alter of your fanboy outrage and bitchery." But I digress.

In fact, long-whispered rumors that some sort of thumbs on the scales fix was in with Rotten Tomatoes and other outlets, reared its head over the weekend, when several prominent critics noted that they were being cited on Rotten Tomatoes site as negative reviews, when in fact they had not given negative reviews.

Petty Disney and Marvel attempts to somehow hobble DC and Warner's seem to be closer to being proven true, which is really disappointing.

Add to that, the notion that nearing $100 million domestically is somehow a failure, and I think there is a conspiracy of some sort to taint the DC movie Universe and sow some sort of dissent that derails them from making that Legion Of Doom movie.

There is enough room for both. And notions that somehow "fans" will chose to not see JL just because they saw Thor 2 weeks ago, or that they are going to only stay home to watch Punisher on Netflix, is offensive to me and other fans who CAN do more than one thing in the course of their daily and weekly lives as geeks and fans.

It is saddening and sickening that Executives who don't know jack shit or give a shit about fans and fandom in general, think so little of the very people they are "selling" product to.

Sadder still is that I see too many "fans" fall for their corporate talking points and believe that one product is inferior to the other because they have been told so by a website that suddenly has god-level powers to raise up or condemn a film on a whim.

The Rotten Tomatoes "fix" was in a full day before general audiences even saw the movie. It was already declared to be somehow lesser before folks could make up their own minds. And some of the weaker of those minds bought it without finding out for themselves.

Shame on them. All of them. Shame on deceivers and on those who are all too easily willing to be deceived.

Justice League is a good movie. It would have been better had they trusted themselves to tell the story they wanted to tell.  DC is on a good path. Wonder Woman broke new ground. JL held that ground, and the universe is established. Let's hope they don't throw it away based on all the odd little deceptions that are at play trying to sew seeds of doubt.

I'll see it again, in theatres. Half out of spite to the whole suspicious thing going on around it.

I hope to see Affleck back in a couple year in JL 2. I look forward to Wonder Woman 2, The Flash, Aquman, and whatever else comes from this shared universe. It is worth keeping going.

And Justice League IS worth seeing. Go. You may have fun. You may like it. But for goodness sake, don't let someone or some site that thinks you're a gullible geek in your mom's basement keep you from at least finding out for yourself.

NC Comicon Bull City Con wrap up

I needed that. Yes, I did. I needed the lone road trip to get my batteries recharged creatively. I love taking road trips. Load up the Ipod and hit the road. I spend a lot of time in my head, and use the drive as a meditative experience.

I also needed the nurturing I got at NC Comicon's Bull City Con over this past weekend!

First, I was pleased to see that it was not too big, as Cons go. It was small enough, but had more than enough guests and dealers to be perfect. Of course, I was there to meet the one and only Howard Chaykin (see my previous blog post about that) and get a couple of head sketches and hopefully a good chat out of him.

Mission accomplished. And Chaykin could not have been nicer. Sure, he's not one to censor himself. He tells you what he thinks and is not shy about it. But the notion that he is a grouch or overly cranky is greatly exaggerated. He is warm and welcoming at his table, inviting folks to come close and treat it like a pub, where we're all hanging out chatting it up. There's no shortage of tales to tell, and opinions to share. He's a natural performer and he loves his audience.

To say that I enjoyed meeting him is understatement. I am very happy to have met him.

My old high school pal Donald, who lives in Durham, planned to join me at the Con on Saturday. We had gone to Heroes Cons together in the late 1980s, and we both cut our teeth on Chaykin's American Flagg! back in the day.

I think it is safe to say that Donald and I were both very pleasantly surprised, and honored to spend time with Chaykin as he held court. In fact, we both felt like he kept us at his table extra long, because he was enjoying the chat. Others came up to get him to sign books, which he did, as he kept talking to us. Those who wanted to stay were welcome to. And when we departed, Chaykin said to us something like "Come back and see me when you get bored. And you will get bored."

In fact, the highlight of the weekend may have been the dressings down we witnessed Chaykin give to a few folks who had him sign Star Wars issues. He was happy to sign them, but was also freely giving his opinion. We heard his opinion of Neal Adams, and we heard him describe how he has no hope for Hollywood and his works.We even got TV recommendations out of him. No topic was off the table, and he didn't circle back for you if you couldn't keep up. But this one kid (maybe 15 years old) came up with Star Wars issues. Chaykin signed them, and quickly told the kid that they were complete crap and that he should seek out other works of his. The flustered kid was brave enough to try and engage Chaykin in reply, but was in WAY over his head.

Of course, all this happened, perfectly timed, with Chaykin stating that a big problem in comics is that they are being written by 50 year old men, and read by 50 year old men. Then he proceeded to terrorize a teenager who was eagerly approaching him.

Donald and I got a photo with Chaykin to end the day, and once I saw it, I stated that it was pure poetry. (See it below)

I picked up some great deals and I had Chaykin do a couple of sketches for me. One of Indiana Jones:

And one of Black Canary:

                                    (No one tell my wife: this is a gift for her for Christmas)

When I asked him about it, he said he was happy to, often telling folks, "I'm here for you. Whatever you like, I'll sign it or draw it." But funnily enough, He had no paper, so I had to go find some for him to draw on.

Klaus Janson was nice as well, and gave a great panel with Cully Hamner about drawing Batman.

I'm also happy that Darrin and Ruth Sutherland dropped by on Saturday and we got to visit for a while, catching up and snapping a few photos. Two nicer people you could not find, in podcasting (listen the their RaD Network of shows on Mike Grell, Ron Randall and Mark Schultz) or in the world. Such a  great couple, and true fans and friends. I saw that they too had a great time with Chaykin at his table.

All in all, it was a great weekend, at a great Con. And it reminds me again of how great the geek culture is. So much positive energy in the building, so much love and celebration. 

Are Hickman and Bendis the start of a Marvel Exodus to DC?

Big news erupted when Brian Michael Bendis announced the end of his nearly 20 year run at Marvel comics (making Dan Slott the new champion over at Marvel as far are longevity goes). This sent ripples across Geekdom, and Legion of Super Heroes fans have been going nuts wanting the news to be followed soon by an announcement that he is going to be picking up the long-absent LSH book in "Rebirth" or otherwise.

Of course, DC has teased a planned return of the Legion ever since Rebirth came along. Saturn Girl has turned up in Arkham Asylum, and we've all been waiting for a pay off ever since.

Now, here's a little bit of insider info that may make the Bendis dreams fade:

I have been assisting with an upcoming book from Two Morrows Publishing about Mike Grell. As such, the book focuses on his many years and works (Legion included). As a part of the book, I interviewed a few of Grell's collaborators, including Dan Jurgens. Jurgens was super nice, and when I asked him what he might like to see Grell come back and do at DC, he was particularly fanboying out on the notion of Grell doing Legion again. Jurgens then said that DC had plans for the Legion that were in the works already, and such a throwback series would not really be in the offing.

I take that to mean that DC already has someone on Legion and at work. At least I hope. If there's no work being done yet, and Bendis is the guy to write it, we're still a LONG time away from seeing it on shelves. And I personally think the sooner the better.

Which brings me to that Jim Lee Tweet that came out a few months back that hinted that he was courting Jonathon Hickman to come to DC from Marvel too. This was before the Bendis talk, but Hickman's name has come back up after the Bendis announcement.

Legion fans went ape over the idea of  a Hickman Legion, and if those parts have been in motion for a while, that means we're closer to a Legion return, which I am all for.

So I'm team Hickman on this.

I loved Bendis's work at Marvel, which was saying something since Marvel has been consistently a mess for the past 8 or so years. His recent Iron Man was the only worthy book they had going (outside of the Star Wars line).

DC has not been all that great either, but they have pulled out of the downward spiral that was New 52, Convergence, and DC You (Eww). New 52 was to be a fresh start. It didn't have much shelf life though. A short flirtation of old dudes pretending to be hip and up with the cool kids gave us DC You (Eww) which was a smoldering pile of dung.

Then Rebirth. And all is finally right with the DC U.

Quietly  Marvel relaunched a ton of titles around that time too. Uncanny Avengers was OK, and I picked up several series, which I quickly lost interest in. In his time there Hickman took passes at the Fantastic Four, as well as Avengers and spear-headed the latest Secret Wars.

Marvel is now trying to course correct again, and are having little success. They seem too busy making movies to focus on the source material. DC is making movies too, but for whatever reason, they are having a harder time getting off the launch pad. However, in the publishing end, they are hitting it out of the part (finally.)

So, it only makes sense that as Marvel's publishing ship is listing, the top talent over there are getting a little woozy and looking to jump ship and swim for safe shores. I can't blame them really. DC Comics is where its at these days for creators. Marvel is trying to figure out what they want to be it seems, and are throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks. Classic numbering is following DC doing the same on their big titles, hoping to suddenly cash in on "legacy" fans as opposed to trying to constantly attract new kids with shiny issues one.

When the likes of Bendis and Hickman leave Marvel does it start a major exodus of others? (Of course John Romita Jr jumped to DC a while back and that created some major fandom ripples).

Is this on the level of Jim Shooter going to Marvel? Carmine Infantino going to Marvel? John Byrne going to DC?

I feel like this has similar potential of being another industry "scandal" of talent jumping.

Who is next?

Will anyone from DC be lured to Marvel? Can you imagine Geoff Johns suddenly forsaking DC for Marvel?

What could Marvel do to fix their creative problems? Are they speed dialing Byrne or Chris Claremont? Frank Miller returns to Daredevil? Mike Grell gets his bucket list title and does Captain America? Howard Chaykin taking on the depravity of Tony Stark in Iron Man?

Of course, those suggestions are backward looking, while DC is firmly pointed forward. Rebirth would indicate new life, while Marvel's "Legacy" approach seems to be about looking backward, which would allow for such moves.

Maybe they should hire me to help them sort this stuff out. I'd put John Byrne back on Fantastic Four, give Grell Cap, and have Frank Miller return to Daredevil in a heartbeat.

Nuff said.

And I would buy all those books. Something I can't say about Marvel, nor have been able to say for about 5 years.

Perhaps it is long past time for shake ups and shifts between the "Big Two."

And honestly, short of Dan Jurgens actually getting Mike Grell to draw a Legion re-launch in disco Legion attire, I couldn't be more excited to hear the Legion getting shoved to the front of the speculation line as high-calibre names are bandied about.

Just get to it already!

Welcome Hickman and Bendis. DC is going to be a great home for you both. The Legion awaits, Justice Society awaits, and both could be well-served by two such writers taking the reigns.

Behind the scenes Q and A with BULL CITY CON

Bull City Con, brought to you by NCComicon is happening November 10 - 12, with many great guests and fun events. I'll be there! I know many friends who will be there too.

Thanks to Brockton Mckinney, I got to ask a few questions to the folks heading up the Con, and here they are:

1: NC Comicon seems to be getting bigger and bigger. Are you planning to take over the world of Comic Cons one city at a time?

Yes. Absolutely. It was always the plan. Stay tuned for crazy announcements!

2: Oak City, Bull City, and now a recent con in Greensboro. Can we expect to eventually see NC Comicon Wilmington or Asheville?

You never know! We have been looking at new locations...

3: How long have you been around?

Show turns 8 years old this year.

4: Who are some of your guests this year? 

We've got some amazing comic book industry pros and some super media guests that we think fans are gonna go crazy for! Full list here:  http://nccomicon.com/bull-city/guests/ 

5: Klaus Janson and Howard Chaykin seem to like coming to your cons. Do you see yourselves building a regular guest family, who return year to year?

We certainly feel like a family, and we are always ecstatic to see our favorite guests return.

6: A lot seems to happen outside the Convention floor. What are some of the cool events that are running alongside the Con?

We have an after-hours event each day! Friday is the 'High into the Stars' Concert, Saturday is the 'Guardians of the Gala', and Sunday is our Cosplay Contest! Full deets here: http://nccomicon.com/bull-city/events/ 

7: What do people need to know and what can they expect from Bull City Con?

Comics books, fun from every fandoms, and an all-inclusive event that welcomes EVERYONE!

DC non-Rebirth gives new life

DC has slipped in a few non-Rebirth books in the past year and a half. Sure, there have been those Hanna-Barbara books, and the odd WB cartoon character crossovers with all sorts of DC standard bearers (like my beloved Legion of Super Heroes). But I'm talking about the regular DC characters who many may have forgotten over the years. And for the most part, the results have been a success.

Here's a look at 3 of the most recent ones:

Deadman # 1 (out yesterday)

Neal Adams. Sigh. Neal Adams really loves Neal Adams. Thinks he's a genius on all fronts. And DC seem to give him anything he wants, no matter what. Maybe he knows where some bodies are buried. Maybe he was mobbed up with Vinnie Colletta and Carmine Infantino back in the day. Who knows?

I will admit that I have a bad impression of Adams from my first encounter with him a few years back at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. It was the first time I had gone to Heroes in over 20 years, and I was taking my 10 year old son to his first Con.

We met Jim Steranko first thing as we wandered the long rows. It just happened that we ran across his table first. And I told my son that we had to stop at the table and meet a true legend of the business. We bought a couple of prints (Indiana Jones concept art, which Steranko signed to my son) and we chatted with him. What a great guy. Super friendly, and eager to talk. It felt great to meet him, despite my never having been a giant fan of his comic work.

As the day moved along, we stumbled upon Neal Adams (then modest) mini-mall booth set up. I thought that it would be worth meeting him. And the line was pretty long. Still, we had all day, and this guy was a serious legend too. So we got in line. I perused the prints on display at the tables, and I picked out one that I really liked (a Green Arrow black and white one). I noted that there was a slight discount for buying 3 or more prints, but I was trying to be good and not over do it. And one was plenty.

When we arrived at the head of the line, Adams smiled and greeted us. I chatted briefly, telling him what an honor it was to meet a real legend. I made sure to tell my son that he was a major creator, who helped revolutionize the industry. He didn't say thanks, or anything like it. He looked down at the print in my hand, and began to push me to buy two more to save on the pricing. I politely said that I really just wanted to get this one, but might come back around later for more later in the day. He insisted that the deal was only good now, and I should take advantage. I declined and got him to sign the one I had, which he did in a somewhat dismissive manner, as if he thought I were a fool for not buying 3 prints and saving $5 in doing so.

And that was that. I now had a negative impression of Neal Adams because he was less interested in fans and more interested in making sales.

I'm sure others have had better experiences with him. But it did taint my impression.

Now... Deadman #1, with its glow in the dark cover:

Written, drawn and colored by Adams, the book has the makings of a great re-introduction of the character in the modern DC universe setting. Instead it is oddly disjointed and written in a manner that betrays the personalities of characters like Commissioner Gordon (what is he doing as an Ambassador inspecting Japan's nuclear arsenal??) and Batman/Bruce Wayne. Boston Brand comes off as twitchy and a bit of a dick. I much preferred the more Gothic take on the character back in the 90s.

I wanted to like this book. Really, I did. But Adams should not be allowed to write comics. He is a great artist still, but his writing is just plain bad, especially the dialogue. The plot isn't bad, but it is just so poorly executed that it was almost laughable at times, reading it. I am still curious about where the plot is going. I may pick up #2, but am doubtful I'll be on board for the full 6 issue run.

Rating: 5 out o10

RAGMAN #1:

Ragman gets extra props after the great use of the character on TV's ARROW last season. I loved the way they handled it, and I paid more attention to this mostly lost character from the 1970s (I remember seeing the first series back then) than ever before. I think he would be a great part of some DC team of weirdos (like Creeper, Phantom Stranger and others).

The new series is very modern/real world-esque and takes Rory and places him as a recent war vet who mysteriously survived his unit getting wiped out while they were raiding an ancient site. The mystical aspects don't come into heavy play in #1, but his journey to sort out his PTSD and figure out what happened that allowed him to survive do. Spoiler: it's the Ragman rags.

Ray Fawkes does a great job writing the book, giving us a more grounded background. This could exist inside or outside of the DC continuity, and it wouldn't matter either way. In fact, keeping it out of the Rebirth may give Fawkes more room to grow the character and story, without worrying about Doomsday Clocks and buttons and whatnot.

I was unfamiliar with Inanki Miranda's art before this book, but really enjoy it. It is the right amount of realistic mixed with the other worldly.

I'm getting the next issues eagerly.

Rating: 8 out of 10

MISTER MIRACLE #1 -3

This was a hot book on day one. Mitch Gerads' art and Tom King's writing were getting a lot of early positive talk. In fact, I ended up not getting it, as all of the local shops were sold out on day one. I did eventually get a second printing of #1, along with #2 and #3 (on the day of its release).

I have never been a Fourth World fan. I did like Mister Miracle, Big Barda and Oberon in Justice League International back in the day, and enjoyed how they fit in with that band of misfits. I will always have a soft spot for anyone from that JLI era.

It felt like those characters from page one, yet with a clearly darker turn or two in their lives that have nudged them toward something very jarring. We see Scott Free, in #1, dealing with having tried to kill himself. He says it is a trick. He was just trying to escape death. But clearly, something more is going on.

He is having odd memories and being haunted by things from the past, including an old friend (I won't spoil it, but it was a truly sad moment that moved me - rare in comics these days) as he tries to sort out whatever it is that is the root of his pain.

It doesn't help that there is a war with Darkseid that pulls Scott and Barda back to the Fourth World for a major war that will unfold over the 12 issues.

The writing is as good as you could wish for in comics. Better than most. Reading it made me feel like I did back in the mid-1980s when I read Watchmen or Dark Knight Returns. There's a depth here that is too often lacking. There's an emotional tether that pulls the reader along. And the art is evocative while being rather simple, with creative flourishes that give it a look that is wholly unique. Gerads rises beyond his already great potential, and lands firmly in the top shelf of current talent. I've liked his work previously, but this one is above and beyond.

The first issue was riveting, start to finish. It is simply the best comic I've read all year.

Rating: 10 out of 10