Comic Reviews -- Week of May 26

DC:

Green Lantern #54: This issue of GL is loaded with hints for the future, and Johns borrows off of his ideas from the very first issues of the series. While I love the idea, I'm not sure how fans will feel about it. It's very much like the midichlorian explanation in Star Wars. It turns out each ring has its own construct and someone is rounding up these constructs. Why? That's the question. It used to be that the rings worked on emotion. Now, it turns out they have a totem. And that's . . . neat, but a bit too explanatory. But it's still Geoff Johns, and it's still good writing. Plus, it features the return of a beloved DC character, one who has a strong enough cult fan base that for a while, movie companies toyed with the idea of making a full feature film about him. Who is he? Read Green Lantern to find out!

Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne #2: In this issue, we get to see Bruce do what he does best -- be a detective. And while I didn't think the mystery was that hard to solve, it was fun to watch him do it without any of his "bat-toys." And just like the mystery Bruce is trying to figure out, Morrison lays the seeds of his own mystery. The story so far has been mesmerising. I have no idea how it will end if Bruce's return means the end of existence. My only complaint about the issue is Frazer Irving's art. He elongates the faces to a point where they look ridiculous. Chris Sprouse did a much better job in the first issue. I like that they're using a different artist each issue because some art works better than others in this series. I don't think I'd enjoy it as much if Irving drew the entire series. Morrison seems to leave our heroes in a pretty dire situation, so I know I'll be looking to see how they get out of it in the next issue. I only hope it's as inventive as how they got into it.

Green Lantern Corps #48: I loved everything about this issue. Tony Bedard's writing is phenomenal, and the story clips along at a pretty intense pace. I'm always impressed by the artists they get to illustrate the Green Lantern universe. Ardian Syaf seems to be one of the best so far. He captures the infiniteness of the Green Lantern Corps beautifully, and he draws some impressive action scenes. What I enjoyed about this issue is that it seems to be completely separate from Geoff Johns' book, yet still intertwined in the "Brightest Day" story line. But after reading a few Brightest Day issues, it looks like this is anything but a wonderful rebirth. I see a lot of darkness for the future of the DCU.

MARVEL:

Ultimate Enemy #4: So Ultimate Enemy is the beginning of a trilogy that continues in two months in Ultimate Mystery. The best part of this issue? Hawkeye torturing the alien entity that's been attacking New York City. This is Bendis artfully using a myriad of characters from the Ultimate universe, deftly intertwining them with each other. I was unsure of this series until this issue -- now I'm in for the long haul.

Amazing Spider-Man #632: Chris Bachalo deserves an award for his artwork on this series. It's gritty and beautiful. It's a shame that Emma Rios has to follow him in the final pages of the issue because her art comes off as too clean, and almost Anime in style. But art is only half the issue, and the other thing that makes this issue so spectacular is Zeb Wells. This has had some far reaching effects in the Spider-Man universe. Plus, Conners has started to get in to Peter's head. It will be interesting to see how this issue ends becasue it's been built up pretty strongly so far. But I have faith in Zeb Wells. And He's set the bar pretty high for whoever comes next.

MISC:

Mystery Society #1 (IDW -- Niles & Staples): I didn't know what to expect when I picked this up. I like Steve Niles, but I still didn't know what to expect. We're getting the story in flashbacks, but so far that's been the most interesting part. I didn't dig the Mr & Mrs. Smith storytelling at first, but it grows on you by the end, especially when the two stories fuse together. Fiona Staples' art helps as well. It's crisp and interesting, definitely individualized. It works well with an independent publisher. The questions the story raises are also interesting enough to keep me reading. I know when issue two comes out, I'll be waiting to read it. Pick up Mystery Society if you want something new and fun.

Seven Psychopaths #1 (BOOM! -- Vehlmann & Phillips): In the end, I liked Seven Psychopaths. But, if it suffers from one thing, it's that it's dialogue heavy. I had to put the issue down and pick it up later because it was so time consuming. But the characters are interesting. One character in particular is genuinely insane, and he's the most interesting one. The issue has a lot of potential, plus it's illustrated by Sean Phillips whose art I'm familiar with from reading Incognito. I'll give Seven Psychopaths another try, but if issue two is as word heavy as issue one, I don't think I'll be sticking around long.