Post by ryokowerx on Oct 4, 2011 9:54:38 GMT -5
(cross-posted from my Facebook account. I hadn't originally intended on picking up all the new #1s but the 50% off deal at DCBS turned out to be too good to pass up. Feel free to discuss, agree or disagree)
So what the hell is this? I'm going to try to write a review of each of the new #1 issues put out by DC Comics. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, DC Comics (home of Superman, Batman, etc.) is completely restarting most* of the history they have established with their comic books since 1939. (* some continuity remains but all events that remain are considered to have happened within a five year span of time) If you're still confused, think of it as everything being set back to square one and all these superheroes are new things to show up rather than a given part of the world.
Anything I say from this point on is my opinion and reflects only my feelings. Please take your nerd rage elsewhere if you disagree or at least be civil in your disagreement.
NOTE: I have not read Flashpoint #5 which kicks off this new history so I'm going to try to approach these issues as if someone completely new to comics were picking them up for the first time. If you're interested in what I have to say, I'd encourage you to go to your local comic book shop (if you have one) or you can buy them digitally at Comixology (http://www.comixology.com).
PLOT SUMMARY:
In Istanbul, a family is murdered by a group of mercenaries looking for something. We then cut to Ronnie Raymond, star high school quarterback, playing while Jason Rusch argues with the editor of the school paper about why he doesn't want to interview Raymond. When finally convinced, the interview goes really badly and Rusch writes up a less-than-flattering article. In the meantime, the mercenaries grab one of the doctors from the supercollider in Switzerland. They kill him but not before finding out where the final magnetic bottle they are looking for lies. It seems the mercs are working for a corporation who wants to prevent a "unauthorized" firestorm from coming into being. Meanwhile, just as Ronnie and Jason are having it out over the article, the mercs come shooting into the school, killing a guard and a Ronnie's coach and a teammate. Jason let's loose the firestorm protocol and it turns both him and Ronnie into two firestorms. Ronnie goes unstable and starts attacking Jason as something has happened to the famale mercenary who happened to be at ground zero of Jason's transformation. As the two fight, a explosion happens and Jason and Ronnie merge into one big frickin' Firestorm who calls himself Fury.
THE ART:
Yildiray Cinar is the artist and he does a pretty good job with what he is given. The first three-fourths of the comic is normal people, it isn't until the end of the comic that the superpowers come out to play and we get all kinds of fire effects and energy that kick the comic's look into high gear. Steve Buccellato should also get a nod here as his colors during the confrontation between the two firestorms really pop off the page.
THE STORY:
I'm not going to say that the story by Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver is the best thing since sliced bread. It isn't. It has some pretty bad logic issues going on with it, namely why a professor of nuclear physics would entrust a high school kid with something so valuable as nuclear particles. The race card is played a little too much as well much in the same way that Mister Terrific did. He's black and has anger issues with it. We get it. The fight between the two towards the end has a pretty flimsy motivation and seemed really to only be there to work in the introduction of Fury. Despite some of the more ham-fisted plot devices used here, I think there is promise here for a good comic.
VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY:
I'd only drop $2.99 on this if you are a fan of Gail Simone or Firestorm. I have every reason to believe that this will only get better as the issues progress but there just wasn't enough here to hook me. I'll check back in with this title once it hits trade paperback and I can get the full story arc. But, for now, not recommended.
NEXT WEEK:
All Star Western #1, Batman The Dark Knight #1, Green Lantern New Guardians #1, I Vampire #1, Justice League Dark #1, Superman #1, and Teen Titans #1.
THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #1
So what the hell is this? I'm going to try to write a review of each of the new #1 issues put out by DC Comics. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, DC Comics (home of Superman, Batman, etc.) is completely restarting most* of the history they have established with their comic books since 1939. (* some continuity remains but all events that remain are considered to have happened within a five year span of time) If you're still confused, think of it as everything being set back to square one and all these superheroes are new things to show up rather than a given part of the world.
Anything I say from this point on is my opinion and reflects only my feelings. Please take your nerd rage elsewhere if you disagree or at least be civil in your disagreement.
NOTE: I have not read Flashpoint #5 which kicks off this new history so I'm going to try to approach these issues as if someone completely new to comics were picking them up for the first time. If you're interested in what I have to say, I'd encourage you to go to your local comic book shop (if you have one) or you can buy them digitally at Comixology (http://www.comixology.com).
WARNING! SPOILERS OFF THE PORT BOW CAP'N!
PLOT SUMMARY:
In Istanbul, a family is murdered by a group of mercenaries looking for something. We then cut to Ronnie Raymond, star high school quarterback, playing while Jason Rusch argues with the editor of the school paper about why he doesn't want to interview Raymond. When finally convinced, the interview goes really badly and Rusch writes up a less-than-flattering article. In the meantime, the mercenaries grab one of the doctors from the supercollider in Switzerland. They kill him but not before finding out where the final magnetic bottle they are looking for lies. It seems the mercs are working for a corporation who wants to prevent a "unauthorized" firestorm from coming into being. Meanwhile, just as Ronnie and Jason are having it out over the article, the mercs come shooting into the school, killing a guard and a Ronnie's coach and a teammate. Jason let's loose the firestorm protocol and it turns both him and Ronnie into two firestorms. Ronnie goes unstable and starts attacking Jason as something has happened to the famale mercenary who happened to be at ground zero of Jason's transformation. As the two fight, a explosion happens and Jason and Ronnie merge into one big frickin' Firestorm who calls himself Fury.
THE ART:
Yildiray Cinar is the artist and he does a pretty good job with what he is given. The first three-fourths of the comic is normal people, it isn't until the end of the comic that the superpowers come out to play and we get all kinds of fire effects and energy that kick the comic's look into high gear. Steve Buccellato should also get a nod here as his colors during the confrontation between the two firestorms really pop off the page.
THE STORY:
I'm not going to say that the story by Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver is the best thing since sliced bread. It isn't. It has some pretty bad logic issues going on with it, namely why a professor of nuclear physics would entrust a high school kid with something so valuable as nuclear particles. The race card is played a little too much as well much in the same way that Mister Terrific did. He's black and has anger issues with it. We get it. The fight between the two towards the end has a pretty flimsy motivation and seemed really to only be there to work in the introduction of Fury. Despite some of the more ham-fisted plot devices used here, I think there is promise here for a good comic.
VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY:
I'd only drop $2.99 on this if you are a fan of Gail Simone or Firestorm. I have every reason to believe that this will only get better as the issues progress but there just wasn't enough here to hook me. I'll check back in with this title once it hits trade paperback and I can get the full story arc. But, for now, not recommended.
NEXT WEEK:
All Star Western #1, Batman The Dark Knight #1, Green Lantern New Guardians #1, I Vampire #1, Justice League Dark #1, Superman #1, and Teen Titans #1.