Human Bomb #4 Review!

After finding themselves above Jupiter, the only survivors of their mission, Joan (ostensibly Miss America) and Michael the new Human Bomb find that the aliens are terraforming the moon. They also discover that the aliens had acquired a lost space shuttle from the 1980s.

They're overwhelmed but Joan taxes her abilities to sending a mental distress signal into space. Just then she is struck by a blaster that rips virtually through her entire chest. As she dies, she transfers all of her memories and knowledge into Michael.

From Human Bomb #4 (2013). Art by Jerry Ordway.

Human Bomb #2-3 Review!

 

 

Human Bomb #2 (Mar. 2013)

Human Bomb #3 (Apr. 2013)

The adventure in this series began immediately and has escalated with every issue. Jerry Ordway shows no signs of slowing down in his artistic ability; this is some of his best work. And in addition to the new Miss America (introduced in issue #1), issue #3 features a new Neon! This Neon somewhat resembles the reinvented one from the previous Freedom Fighters series, a purely glowing man with teleportation powers.

Human Bomb #1 Review!

Cover of Human Bomb #1.
Art by Jerry Ordway.

I enjoyed this issue a whole lot more than the bulk of  the Phantom Lady series. Even a tad more than The Ray, but we'll have to ride it out to see how it progresses. As it stands, this issue moves at a clip, getting introductions underway and moving right into the action. Perhaps things are getting more exciting now because some threads from the three series are coming together. Uncle Sam, who debuted at the end of The Ray, is already central to the current story.

Jerry Ordway provides full (and beautiful) art for the cover and interiors. No doubt this influences my impression of the book. But hey: comics are a visual medium and the quality of the art is going to affect the reader's impression, no?

The new Human Bomb's story begins three years ago in Afghanistan, where Sgt. Michael Taylor's troop of five Marines was ambushed not by Taliban, but by men in black body suits and gas masks. The men were shocked unconscious, and he apparently did not remember the incident afterwards.

Phantom Lady #4 Review!

FINALLY.

Finally, in the last issue, the dialogue and story kick in to prime Palmiotti/Gray gear.

I feel sort of bad for harping on the art in this series, however it continued to disappoint. I can't think of much else to describe it except "serviceable." :(

Here's the page that I loved reading most. The personality of each character starts to shine and come off the page a bit better ...

Phantom Lady #3 Review!

Phantom Lady #3 (Dec. 2012).
Cover by Stephane Roux.

Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti pick up the pace with a knock-down battle with the mercenary, Funerella. This villainess is a rather good choice for an arch foe. She first appeared in the pre-DCnU era, in Freedom Fighters #4 (Feb. 2011), written also by Palmiotti and Gray.

She's an amped up zombie with absolute control over her undead form, and over those she infects. Funerella's power extends to the ability to deteriorate inanimate matter, too.

It seems Phantom Lady's black light isn't as effective against her, either. In fact it's coldness seems to have an affinity for her. When Doll Man shoots her in the head, it does not kill her—she's already dead.

DCnU Roundup: New Solicitations

Catching up to the DCnU Blackhawks!

Before we get to the new stuff, some housekeeping... The DCnU Blackhawks series is a while gone, but I still had a couple of adventures to log. These are included now in the profile at Cosmic Teams! It includes the last issue of their series (#8), and their origin from DC Universe Presents #0.

Phantom Lady #4

I guess DC forgot to add this issue to its solicitations. OMG.
In this concluding issue, Phantom Lady goes to head-to-head with the most unusual adversary of all: Funerella!
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, with art by Cat Staggs and a cover by Stephane Rouz. 

Human Bomb #2

• John discovers the secrets of his metahuman gene. • Who are the Men in Black?
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art and cover by JERRY ORDWAY
On sale January  9, 2013

Human Bomb #3 

The Human Bomb and Joan lead a military invasion into a hidden C.R.O.W.N. installation.
• They discover an alien invasion is in the works!
• Plus: The Human Bomb discovers his new abilities!
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art and cover by JERRY ORDWAY

On Sale  February 6, 2013

Phantom Lady #2: Review!

If DC is planning to relaunch the Freedom Fighters, they're going to have to amp things up. Here I can't help compare Phantom Lady to the advance sketches for Grant Morrison's Multiversity (starring DC's Charlton characters). Even without words, I can sense that something bold is in store for readers—while casting lower-tier characters. What's to lose, after all? In reviving characters outside of the DC mainstream, I've admired great works like Darwyn Cooke's Spirit, Azzarello's First Wave, and some of the recent Red Circle/Archie licensing written by Straczynski. 

Why bother to write any B-list (or lower) property conservatively? Isn't it precisely these characters who benefit from breakthrough storytelling and characterization? They've less to prove, and fewer expectations to which they must adhere. Palmiotti and Gray's very earliest reinterpretation of the Freedom Fighters did exactly this. Their Stormy Knight was a layered Phantom Lady; their Human Bomb was sleek and tragic; the Black Condor leapt off the page with power. Was it wrong of DC to return to the same well so soon, for the DCnU version?

... Last month, Jennifer Knight had been abducted by her quarry, Cyrus Bender, and Dane Maxwell had become the victim of his own experiment—shrunk to the size of a doll! ...

Bender tortured Jennifer instead of killing her. When he and his men left, Dane came to her rescue—in costume, sporting a mask and armor outfitted with a jet pack and laser weapons. When they returned to his lab, he bestowed her with weapons of her own. One that allows her to become intangible. The others were gauntlets controlled by a neural interace woven into the hood of her uniform. With them, she could fashion shadowy matter into any form.

Doll Man's debut, from Phantom Lady #2 (2012).
Art by Cat Staggs and Tom Derenick.

The two spent some time at Calvin City Lake where they trained and Jennifer coined her own codename: Phantom Lady. In turn she suggested some for Dane, settling on Doll Man because his clothes were made for dolls (he doesn't like it). While sparring, Dane experienced the nature of her shadows: like death, a different plane, claustrophobic.

After they began their costumed campaign against the Benders, Cyrus hired his own meta-muscle: Funerella. Notes: Calvin City was the home of the Golden Age Atom. Funerella was a villain in the 2010 Freedom Fighters series; she looks the same here. (#2)

The art is a little bit better in this issue and showing more sex appeal in the lead character. Still, when I read it there is some sort of disconnect. The writing is solid, the art is competent, but added together, the experience is not exciting. 

Phantom Lady #2-3

UPDATE: Preview is available at DC

DC has solicited the second issue. It looks like you can see the wristbands that the most recent Phantom Lady used. Those bangles had massive space-warping powers, used for teleportation and the like.

• PHANTOM LADY’s crusade to avenge her family’s death lands her in the hands of her worst enemies.

• Her tiny teammate, DOLL MAN, is on the way to save her.

Written by: Justin Gray,Jimmy Palmiotti; art by: Cat Staggs, Richard Perrotta; cover by: Stephane Roux

On Sale Date: 

Sep 26 2012

BTW I LOVED the National Comics: Eternity issue! I'll be writing that up. Buy it! It was the perfect reinvention of the character and I really hope to see more of it.

UPDATE: Phantom Lady #3 is on sale 31 October 2012 and DC says...

• Phantom Lady and Doll Man face the frenzied fury of Funerella!
• Can the newly formed duo stand a chance against this villain’s strange powers?

Funerella was a villain created by Palmiotti and Gray for 2010's Freedom Fighters series.

Human Bomb #1!

Who knew that this would continue? Just announced: another Quality character mini-series, following The Ray and Phantom Lady—the Human Bomb!

There's something new going on this time around, though. The book is part of other books called "Beyond DC Comics—the new 52." Other titles include those based around TV shows and "Elseworlds" concepts. This appears to put Quality characters back on their own Earth again.  Grant Morrison's project to define DC's parallel Earths, Multiversity, is still slated for publication, and after that we my know more about DC's preference for multiple Earths and who lives where.

And very exciting news for me: art by Jerry Ordway! No hint from the solicitation that this character borrows from any Quality history. The character is Michael Taylor, a name which has no relation to any of the other iterations of the Human Bomb.

HUMAN BOMB #1
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI Art and cover by JERRY ORDWAY

On sale DECEMBER 5 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 4, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Ex-Marine and war veteran Michael Taylor discovers a conspiracy to use human bombs to destroy the United States! But how can he possibly stop them when he could be their ultimate bomb?

Phantom Lady #1: Review!

As always, the writing team of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray deliver a fresh take on two iconic Quality Comics characters, Phantom Lady and Doll Man. Amanda Conner's gorgeous cover drawing really channels the spirit of this heroine, but the interior art by Cat Staggs though competent, does little to elevate Phantom Lady's legend as a sex symbol (a lost opportunity for DC; there's a lot of fandom surrounding this character).

Robert Bender murders Jennifer's parents. From Phantom Lady #1 (2012). Art by Cat Staggs and Tom Derenick.

The new heroes are Jennifer Knight (originally Sandra Knight) and Dane Maxwell (originally Darrel Dane). Their personal lives are intertwined, having known each other since childhood. And they share a romantic connection (so no Doll Girls on the horizon here!).

Jennifer's story is similarly tied into that of her father's, Harry Knight, a renown writer for the Daily Planet. When Jen was six, Knight's stories about Robert Bender, head of the Bender crime family, earned him and his wife a ticket to early graves.

Phantom Lady Preview is Up!

Out this week! DC Comics has released a preview of this mini-series:

When she was very young, Jennifer Knight watched her parents get killed by Metropolis’ oldest and strongest crime family: The Benders. Cut to years later and an adult Jennifer is following in her father’s footsteps by taking on the crime world as a reporter … and as a super hero! Phantom Lady to be exact. But will she experience the same fate as her parents when she tries to infiltrate the next generation of Benders? And don’t miss the astonishing origin of the diminutive hero Doll Man!

Featuring a cover by Amanda Conner with Paul Mounts, PHANTOM LADY #1 is written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and is illustrated by Cat Staggs and Tom Derenick.

The description reveals the change in her alter ego's name from Sandra or Stormy, to Jennifer. It remains to be seen whether she has any personal scientific connection to her powers and gear. The original Phantom Lady was the inventor of her fantastic powers, which came from her "black light wristbands." 

The preview's pages reveal that this Phantom Lady uses special goggles for night vision and "3-D relay vision, and can "shadow slide," or transport herself via shadows. This is a change that echoes the super-powers of Nightshade and Obsidian (neither of whom have a DCnU presence as of yet). 

SIDE NOTE: Notice the awesome logo for Doll Man, which riffs of the original Quality logo!

Original Logo

Logo from Phantom Lady #1

More here...

National Comics: Eternity #1 (Sept. 2012)

Wow! Go and read this right away!

I'm becoming a devotee of Jeff Lemire's writing. This one-shot reads like a teleplay. I wouldn't be the first to speculate that for Warner Bros., DC functions as a sort of R&D lab. If so, this comic book is a great pilot. By the time you're done, you want this to be a TV show.

In a recent interview at Comic Book Resources, Jeff Lemire gave up some surprising tidbits concerning the nature of the DCnU, saying:

"As far as I know, and I might be corrected on this, the "National Comics" titles are out of continuity because I know that there is a Madame Xanadu one and it has nothing to do with the New 52 Madame Xanadu. So no, I don't make any reference to any other DC Universe character. It is a self-contained, totally out-of-continuity take on the character. We just kept the original name and stuff."

Also, he'd originally wanted to include Eternity in his Justice League Dark title.

Keep reading...

New Things Quality

A few things to note…

Women of the DC Universe:
Phantom Lady Bust

1. Quality Collectibles!

I started a page at Cosmic Teams devoted to collectibles based on Quality characters. See it here!

2. Kid Eternity news!

There's a new interview at Comic Book Resources with Jeff Lemire, who is penning the return of Kid Eternity! Lemire gives up some surprising tidbits concerning the nature of the DCnU, saying:

"As far as I know, and I might be corrected on this, the "National Comics" titles are out of continuity because I know that there is a Madame Xanadu one and it has nothing to do with the New 52 Madame Xanadu. So no, I don't make any reference to any other DC Universe character. It is a self-contained, totally out-of-continuity take on the character. We just kept the original name and stuff."

 Also, he'd originally wanted to include Eternity in his Justice League Dark title.

I'm sensing a theme...
Classic Photography #1 (Autumn 1956)

3. Arnold Magazines!

I've been quietly adding to this section, which focuses at length on Arnold Publications, the offshoot of Quality Comics by Busy Arnold that limped along when the comics ended, from 1956-1958. I daresay it's the most complete list yet, although I'm still missing a few cover scans.

The rarest of all are the pulp digests, which never appear on ebay. I found two on Amazon.

I'll publicize it more when I've written it more fully, but it already contains lots of notable scans from the issues I've acquired:

• Introduction
• The Sweats
• The Pin-Ups
• The Digests

DCnU Quality Watch 5: Phantom Lady!

DC is finally putting the horse in front of the cart by showcasing one of their most fan-favorite properties—Phantom Lady! (Go ahead and Google her; there's some kind of untapped potential there.)

Phantom Lady #1, will be written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. The cover art is by a personal favorite, Amanda Conner, though sadly she does not illustrate the interiors. That's being done by Cat Staggs and Rich Perotta. Out August 29.

What's more, "joining her will be her partner-in-crimefighting, the diminutive dynamo known as Doll Man."

I'm a tad disappointed—but not surprised—that there's no real homage to the look of the Quality heroes here. Will these be Stormy or Sandra Knight? And is that Darrel Dane or Lester Colt? (Their Ray did not recycle any previous alter egos.) But hopefully this will sell well enough to warrant what seems to be in the works: another Freedom Fighters revival. 

As DC puts it:

“Phantom Lady and Doll Man is an exciting return to the roots of the characters as pulpy, street level crime fighters with a few new twists and some heavy sci-fi overtones,” Justin Gray told THE SOURCE. “We took the best of their original core concepts and updated them with no relation to our previous work on Phantom Lady and Doll Man in the Freedom Fighters. You're getting in on the ground floor of the origin story of two people whose lives intersect and a common threat that transforms them into pretty amazing and engaging superheroes.”

“I have to say I am really enjoying what Jimmy and Justin have created,” said Cat Staggs. “It is a wonderful take on a classic character. The story itself leans towards a gritty crime noir, which is something I am a huge fan of. Getting to draw this on a daily basis is a dream! I can’t wait for fans to see it!”

It all started with Matt Baker's original
reinterpretation of the heroine in 1947.

Gray and Palmiotti are rather becoming veterans at reimagining the body Quality. They most recently reinvented the Ray, and updated the Freedom Fighters within the last decade. This mini-series will also follow the relaunch of Kid Eternity in National Comics #1, out July 25.

Phantom Lady gained fans and notoriety in the late '40s/mid-'50s when Jerry Iger (she was created in his studio for Quality) took her to Fox then Ajax. Her original Quality adventures were short-lived. They ran from Police Comics #1-23 (August 1941–October 1943).

READ MORE at Cosmic Teams!

• Phantom Lady
• Doll Man
• The Ray
• Freedom Fighters
• Kid Eternity

DCnU Quality Watch 4: Eternity! and more

ITEM #1: National Comics!

Wired has broken the news that DC Comics will publish a new title, National Comics! This was the name of the classic Quality Comics title which ran for 75 issues, from July 1940–Nov. 1949.

The original comic book is known for it's anchor character, Uncle Sam, who was relieved of cover duty by the Barker. The characters mentioned in relation to this new title include one called "Eternity" (DC's own solicitations mention the name "Kid Eternity"). The cover image confirms that this is indeed a revival of Kid Eternity. Originally, the character had no alter ego. He was named "Christopher Freeman" by E. Nelson Bridwell at DC Comics, when he was reintroduced in 1977's Shazam! #27 (Jan-Feb 1977).

The official solicitation reads:

NATIONAL COMICS: ETERNITY #1
Written by JEFF LEMIRE Art and cover by CULLY HAMNER
On sale JULY 25 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
An exciting new series of stand-alone comics that feature unique takes on classic characters! JEFF LEMIRE (ANIMAL MAN) and CULLY HAMNER (RED) bring a contemporary approach to the hero we used to know as KID ETERNITY! Can introverted medical examiner Kid Eternity solve a deadly crime in just 24 hours?

These creators are top notch! I'm looking forward to it very much. And wondering what they'll do with the cover logo ;)

ITEM #2: The Ray #3-4

This four-issue mini-series has concluded with an intriguing Quality-related teaser! Read the profile at Cosmic Teams to see how Lucien Gates came to meet this tall, commanding government agent...

ITEM #3: Blackhawks #6-7

This series is one issue from its demise, but it's doing so at breakneck speed! I'm sad this one never had a chance. It has action galore. Try to keep up by reading the profile at Cosmic Teams!

Stormy Foster in Lost Art from The Shade

A post at Bleeding Cool draws attention to this interesting anomaly from the (non-)pages of James Robinson's The Shade #4. It seems that these three Golden Age heroes—the Flash, Stormy Foster, and the Gay Ghost (identified by Robinson for me)—were removed from the story. The art was recently sold as part of the whole issue's set.

No doubt this has everything to do with DC's reconstruction of its universe to omit the original Justice Society. What's more, their new Earth-2 apparently has little to do with the classic Justice Society's premise or history. One wonders if the page would have remained in the book had Jay Garrick (the Flash) not appeared in it. Only time will tell whether their wartime history has a place on any sort of parallel world.

Art by Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone.

Incidentally, The Shade features a character named Von Hammer who is the great-grandson of Stormy Foster.

DCnU Quality Watch 3: Madam Fatal

UPDATE #1!
Madam Fatal made a co-starring appearance in this month's The Shade #4.

She's no lady… from The Shade #4 (2012). Art by Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone.

Madam Fatal was still active in 1944, when Stanton became an agent of the anti-hero (and sometime villain), the Shade. The Shade employed Madam Fatal to protect his own descendant, Darnell Caldecott. Stanton posed as Caldecott's assistant, Miss Sharp. Sharp escorted Caldecott to safety, and when his life was endangered by Nazis, revealed herself as Madam Fatal. The Shade arrived soon thereafter to relieve Madam Fatal, and presented Stanton with his payment—the information he'd sought for so long... the whereabouts of his kidnapped daughter. It seemed that she eleven years earlier by Dr. Prowl. (The Shade v.2 #4)

DCnU: Quality Watch 2

Blackhawks

(1) Col. Andrew Lincoln, (2) Lady Blackhawk, (3) Attila, (4) Kunoichi, (5) the Irishman, (6) Wildman, and (7) Canada.

My profile for the new Blackhawks is up at Cosmic Teams! This series got off to a rocky start before it even hit stands. The initial creative team of Chuck Austen and Ken Lashley did not end up (fully) doing a single issue of the series. Initial reviews of the book were very mixed and I don't think anyone was wowed. Personally, I was disappointed at first that this was an entirely new Blackhawks, with no homage whatsoever to the classic team. But it has a charm all its own if you can read it on those terms. Mike Costa, ultimately wrote it; he had experience with G.I. Joe for IDW, and his Blackhawks reads somewhat in that vein. Message board chatter at DC seems to indicate that some readers have followed writer Mike Costa into this book.

Cover of Blackhawks #5

Nobody expected this series to sell like gangbusters, and the first issue ranked 77th in sales, with  36,013 copies. This was in the bottom five of the "new 52." Issue #2 came in at number 86 with an estimated 28,534 copies.

Also note that this is the first time that the book has been titled in the plural.

Solicitations for January's issue #5 have ramped up speculation, as it looks like the classic Lady Blackhawk might be making a return. This seems more in line with the "give them what they want" philosophy of the new 52.

Read more at Cosmic Teams.

DCnU: Quality Watch

Yesterday I found two all-new Quality Comics standards in the pages of my Wednesday haul. The stunning spread below featured the unexpected return of the War Wheel (times two!) in the pages of Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #4. The War Wheel has always been a bane to the Blackhawks and first appeared in Quality Comics' Blackhawk #56 (Sept. 1952).

I have a real soft spot for this book, its lead character, and for the Creature Commandos. Ironically, this book's story is linked to others written by the creators of the next series I'm going to mention, The Ray. S.H.A.D.E. played a central role in all of Palmiotti and Gray's post-Infinite Crisis series, including those that dealt with the Freedom Fighters.
   

The War Wheel returns in spades, flanked by an army of G.I. Robots, in Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #4. Art by Alberto Ponticelli.