Green Lantern #20

This giant-size issue of Green Lantern celebrates a few milestones, most notably the end of Geoff Johns' long run as writer.

(It also celebrates the wrap-up of several long-running story threads and offers some degree of closure and sets up the status quo for the next creative team.)

It's a shame to see Johns wrapping up his run because he's really taken this series to new heights. Personally, I'll always be grateful to him for bringing back Hal Jordan as Green Lantern.

Before his run, Hal had been dragged through the mud - driven insane, made into a mass murderer, killed, and brought back as the Spectre, it would have been easy for DC to just do away with the character.

But in the Rebirth series, Johns not only cleared away the mess the backstory had become, he also restored Hal to his rightful place in the Green Lantern Corps and was at the center of some of the biggest and best DC events in the last decade, including the Sinestro War and Blackest Night.

Which brings us to this issue, which wraps up the "Wrath of the First Lantern" story. It's a big, cosmic confrontation that somehow manages to jam in every significant character from the last 10 years, a confrontation with a god-like creature, another death for Hal (or is it?), and a glimpse at the future.

Most of the art is by the excellent Doug Mahnke (with a small army of inkers and several additional artists kicking in some excellent work). Considering how much his work resembles the amazing Brian Bolland, I continue to be amazed that Mahnke isn't a bigger fan favorite - but it'll happen eventually (his upcoming Justice League work should do the trick).

Johns leaves a tough mark for the next creative team to live up to - he's recast the series, created a vast number of new characters (and new Lantern Corps), and brought new life to the long-running series.

Best of all, he brought back "my" Green Lantern (and "my" Flash, for that matter) - and I'll always be grateful. Can't wait to see what he tackle next!

Grade: A-

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The Avengers #12

I keep waiting for an issue of The Avengers to disappoint.

I'm going to have to wait a while longer.

Each issue focuses on a different combination of heroes, as the mysterious aftereffects of a recent attack by the alien Builders continues to change part of the Earth and challenge the team.

This story takes us to the Savage Land, where Hyperion has taken on the challenge of "raising" a new kind of life form - a childlike (and humanoid) group of young creatures.

To guide their new wards, the team takes on the role of teacher - though not all of them are cut out for the job. Thor is surprisingly adept at it, while Hawkeye and Spider-Woman seem to lack the knack.

Worst of all, of course, is the "Superior" Spider-Man (a nasty bit of character assassination about which the less said the better).

The issue is clever and introspective, with a clean science fiction edge and some challenging philosophical questions, too.

The art by Mike Deodato, as always, is wonderful, with amazing detail, nuanced emotions and stunning creature designs.

Jonathan Hickman shares the writing credit this time with Nick Spencer, and it's another top-notch effort.

There's not much in the way of crazed action in this issue (at least not until the end), but there's a good workout here for your mind. Great stuff!

Grade: A

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New Comics Day

Here's what I picked up at the comics shop today:

- Aquaman #20 - Return of the Others.

- Avengers #12 - Class is in session.

- Daredevil #26 - Run for your life.

- Fantastic Four #8 - A normal day.

- Flash #20 - Return of the Reverse-Flash.

- Green Lantern #20 - The oversized end for Geoff Johns.

- Journey Into Mystery #652 - Sif and Beta Ray Bill.

- Justice League #20 - The "B" team faces Despero.

- Powers Bureau #4 - Going undercover.

- Uncanny X-Men #6 - Dealing with some serious demons.

- Young Avengers #5 - The showdown with evil parent doubles.

And that's it!

The Classics - Jimmy Olsen #106

How popular was Superman in the '50s, '60s and '70s? So much so that even his supporting characters got their own titles.

Surely the strangest example had to be Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen (though perhaps he just barely edges out the comic dedicated to Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane).

The problem was, Jimmy didn't have much in the way of personality. He was plucky and dedicated to his super-friend, but otherwise he was just a cub reporter. To make him interesting and/or entertaining, the creative teams had to really mess with him.

As a result, Jimmy underwent regular transformations into everything from a giant Turtle Man to a Werewolf or a superhero (Elastic Lad) - he even disguised himself as a "beautiful" girl more than once.

It was rarely done in a serious fashion - often Jimmy succeeds despite himself.

For example, in this issue he's summoned to the future (he's an honorary member of the 30th Century team, the Legion of Super-heroes. Why? Beats me). They need his help with an important mission - assembling stories for their newsletter.

So he wanders the city of the future, looking for stories (and failing, despite an array of odd adventures) - but thanks to a silly twist at the end, all ends well.

The story features nice artwork by Pete Costanza, though it suffers slightly in comparison to the art in the issue's second story by one of DC's best, Curt Swan.

The backup story (featured on the cover) has Superman exhibiting an inexplicable fear of common superstitions.

Jimmy is mystified as he urges his pal to smash a mirror or allow a black cat to cross his path - but Superman trembles with fear.

You'll be shocked to hear that it was a ruse to protect the Earth from an alien menace - but the real strength of the story is the terrific art by Swan, which includes one of the most dramatic panels I can remember of Swan's Man of Steel! (And that's saying something.)

Don't get me wrong, I love the "classic" Jimmy Olsen comics. They're lighthearted, fun, clever and completely over the top - the kind of thing you just don't see in comics these days.

But they are pretty silly.

Grade: C+

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Wolverine and the X-Men #29

Apparently you can't tell an X-Men story these days without including some time traveling element.

Thankfully, this issue of Wolverine and the X-men handles it well.

It does that by not actually traveling through time, except as a story function (in other words, no one except the reader makes the trip).

The story takes us from the modern-day dedication of a time capsule at the Jean Grey School to the day, 25 years in the future, when the capsule is retrieved by a grayer Wolverine.

The story manages to give us some nice teases about the future: who has mutant children, what other characters are revived or killed or become active heroes.

It's a fun, clever bit of business that puts Wolverine (old and new) at the heart of a mystery and sets up several storylines for the future.

The art is by Ramon Perez, and it's packed with all kinds of characters, exotic details and fun moments. It's a bit rough around the edges but a perfect fit for this story.

Predicting the future can be tricky - will the school still be there in 25 years? Will Wolverine still be running the place?

But it's a fun story by Jason Aaron - fast and funny, thought-provoking and well worth following.

Grade: A-

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Wonder Woman #20

I've been enjoying the "New 52" version of Wonder Woman (though I continue to regret the fact that it's too filled with violence and horror to be appropriate for young readers).

The story continues to spool out - and that's the problem.

We started in the first issue to follow Diana's attempts to protect a young mother and her child from attacks by assorted figures from mythology. The reason for the attacks is because of a prophesy around the child - whose father is Zeus.

All well and good, but that same story continues to be the focus of the series, and to be honest - it's getting a bit tired. You do get the sense that we're near the end, and that's good, because each issue feels like deja vu.

Once again, Wonder Woman faces off against Artemis while other forces close in on the infant.

Cliff Chiang provides the strong breakdowns and the finishes on five pages, with Goran Sudzuka covering the rest. It's not a perfect mix, but still entertaining.

So hopefully writer Brian Azzarello is ready to move on to bring this to a close - the adventure is getting mighty thin.

Grade: B+

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Doomsday.1 #1

One of the treats to be found in the present age of comics (whatever it might be called) is that we occasionally see the return of some of yesterday's better comics series.

I would definitely rank the original Doomsday + 1 in those ranks (published in 1975).

Featuring some of John Byrne's earliest comics work, the series published by Charlton Comics was an interesting mix of science fiction, a smidge of fantasy (in the form of a caveman revived from his icy prison) all set in a post-apocalyptic world.

It focused on a team of space explorers who return to an Earth devastated by nuclear war - they confront an assortment of menaces and monsters.

It was a clever, entertaining series - but sadly, it only lasted for six issues (though it was reprinted often).

Thankfully, IDW has revived the title with Byrne returning as creator, writer and artist. The new version, slightly retitled as Doomsday.1, allows room for some updating, factual adjustment and assorted fine tuning.

The crew has been expanded and their mission is a bit more real-world (they're assigned to the Internationsl Space Station). The cause of the "Doomsday" is also a more modern, reality-based version of how that might happen, as is what happens during and after the disaster (obviously I don't want to give away too much of the fun here).

Byrne sets up several upcoming story lines here and provides an interesting and diverse cast.

The art, of course, is terrific. What little Byrne may have lost in youthful enthusiasm in the almost 40 years since the original he more than makes up with skill and craftsmanship.

It's a terrific start to a new series and requires no knowledge of the original version. But fans of the original will enjoy the return of an old favorite, all decked out for a modern audience.

Grade: A

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Iron Man #10

Longtime fans (like yours truly) may remember a character called Mopee.

In an early episode of The Flash, the character appeared to announce that he had given super-speed powers to the hero, not the accident that had long been accepted as the origin for The Flash.

The story was so hated by fans that readers generally ignored it completely, and it was the butt of jokes forever after.

Which brings us to this issue of Iron Man, as we learn the "Secret Origin of Tony Stark." It's too soon to say we're in Mopee territory here, but it's looking very similar.

The story focuses on the discovery by Tony of a film with his father telling a dark secret about Tony's past. We flash back to see his parents discovering the unsettling news that their unborn child has a serious medical problem and will not survive birth.

That sends Howard Stark on a mission to "fix" the problem, one that takes him into strange, "Oceans 11" territory and the promise of an extraterrestrial solution.

So is Tony only exceptional because of his alien assistance? Can we buy him as a genius if his mind is attributed to an almost-supernatural intervention?

It all treads very close to the kind of story readers will reject outright, as it takes the character away from his "self-made billionaire" origin and into science fiction territory.

There's still plenty of story to be revealed, so perhaps the story will end up being terrific - but right now, I'm smelling Mopee.

I hope I'm wrong.

Grade: B

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