Justice League # 2 Review

 A fun issue. A very accessible comic to new fans and issue # 2 is better than issue # 1. And what can I say? Superman stole the show. As a fan of Superman, I was sick and fed up of seeing him wussing out for the last decade. Or being beaten down by everyone. I was waiting for the Batgod to take him down and Johns pleasantly surprised me and made me realize that reactive guy is gone. He limped out of continuity with his Lois.

 This is a modern Superman with his old fire from the Golden Age. In Morrison's Action he is brash and tough and being hounded because of who he is, so he felt very in character here. He was just...explosive in the best way possible. And we see signs that Superman can be cunning. Loved it. Loved Lee's art here. Really he nailed the movement and coordinated those panels superbly.

Every character shone. The Flash and Superman panels were a pleasure to behold. Hal and Barry have been established as friends. Barry seems to be the one to get Hal's butt out of trouble. Bruce you can see is studying them quietly. Don't ever underestimate him. We also see the creation of Cyborg.

There is a lot of chemistry among the four men; and for a change an uneasy alliance is refreshing than four complete strangers suddenly trusting each other. Credit to Johns for bringing humor and a more personal dimension to the book. Can't wait to see my favorite Amazon princess next!

4 out of 5 stars

5 out of 5 for art and again anticipation.

Best Panel :  Superman double splash page of course.

Wonder Woman # 2 Review

Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang continues to keep Wonder Woman on track with a taut narrative and beautiful art. We meets several more characters and learn a bit more about those we knew from issue one.

We meet Hera and she is not Diana's benign patron of old. She is more like Hera of mythology. Vain, spiteful, beautiful and cruel when she wants to be. Zeus has a roving eye and she will rather take it out on innocents than have the will to leave Zeus. Her daughter, Strife, laps this all up.

Hermes is my favorite already. I love his wry wit. Zola is childlike and adorable in a way the way Chiang draws her. You can't bear her any ill will or judge her...indeed if she loves men like Hermes says, nothing to apologize for.

Hippolyta is blond in this incarnation. The Amazons are not living in pristine marble halls either. They are warriors and their architecture is somewhat rustic and there is a real earthiness to the island. The Queen is a regal and pragmatic figure and someone who has the respect of her people and daughter. But she comes across as somewhat blinkered. She thinks what she is doing is for the benefit of her people. Diana is not taking sides but is protecting an innocent and this is typical Diana. We had Steve then. We have Zola now. And Diana has a little twinkle and smile in her eyes and continues to come across as strong and beautiful and confident and focused.

Hermes mentions Diana's clay birth and that Diana was the "perfect Amazon" to the Amazons...ie no male seed to taint her. That alone spoke volumes because once again one has to consider how isolationist and dated their views had become. Hera was derisive in her description of Themyscira, a cockless coop...but she is right in a way. How can any where be even called paradise when it is locked off and wrapped up itself? The panels of Diana's birth are amazingly beautiful.

We are hit with the big reveal by Strife, who decides to pay the Amazon a visit that Diana has a father. Zeus. It's intriguing stuff. How will Diana react? And Hera is not very happy.

Chiang's work again...art and a palette to die for. Dreamy, surreal...foreboding.

5 out of 5 stars

Best Panel :Diana greeting her mother.

Action Comics # 2 Review

Grant Morrison and Rags Morales continue to wow us with this relaunch of a young, proactive and fun Superman. It really is the journey of a young man learning how to be a hero. One with passion and little restraint. Who feels invulnerable even if he is not as yet. One who has found his calling but who has to bleed for it.

After he is captured by Lex and General Lane, Superman is tortured in different ways and this allows us to discover along with his torturers what they can do or not do to him and some of his abilities. It is tough to see him suffer and it hits me that we never saw Superman so vulnerable and yet even while they try to break him and make him bleed, he heals and laughs in their face and breaks free.

 One of the best moments for me is when he stumbles upon the rocket he was sent to earth in as a baby. The government has it and of course has been trying to get its secrets out of it. It only needs Kal-El to come near it for it to activate and greet him. It's a pivotal moment for this brash farmer's boy from Kansas.

He escapes the facility and Lex is pissed that "it" got away. We see a tease of none other than Brainiac, who it seems is in cahoots with Lex. Does Lex even know what he is getting into? And what does Brainiac have to do with Krypton? Special mention to our favorite scientist John Henry Irons (aka Steel) who quit when he saw Lex and co torturing Superman. We also meet a rather lame introduction to John Corben  (aka Metallo) who gives Lois puppy dog eyes and grew a mustache for her or something like that.

5 out of 5 stars

Best Panel: the cape being riddled with bullets.

JLA A LEAGUE OF ONE by Christopher Moeller

This is one of my favorite depictions of Wonder Woman in comics. It is a JLA story but Diana is it's heart and soul and spine in this tale. She is focused on heavily, as not only a hero, but as her role of  friend and princess. You get to see Diana's whole way of operating and there are the themes that define Wonder Woman as Wonder Woman...love, peace, hope and friendship even while it explores betrayal, isolation, pride, fear, and death. An Oracle prophesies the death of the Justice League when an ancient bane of the world, the last Dragon Queen, re-awakens and wreaks havoc and destruction. To prevent the death of her friends Diana decides to take on this threat herself. 

Moeller establishes to the readers who Diana is as a person. He shows us Diana's relationships with her allies and how she views herself. She has the respect and trust of her friends and she loves her home. She is a princess and hero who at times feels the world is on her shoulders. But she still has a sense of playfulness and fun. 

One of the most poignant panels is when Diana wraps herself in the magic lasso and faces her inner self. She does not have the luxury of self deception. She must deal with the truth and what frightens her most is that she would one day turn from the path of  the warrior who fights for peace to the one that destroys.

 Diana uses her intelligence, and training to individually take down the individual members of the League to get them out of the way so she can face the dragon, Drakul Karfang, on her own. She believes that the League is an ideal than can be represented by one Justice League member therefore she can defy the prophecy by sparing her friends from death. 

The way Diana takes out all the various League members was clever and even as she takes them down and feels terrible inside for deceiving them, she does it with skill and determination. But it is her confrontation with Superman that is the most difficult and painful for her.

Moeller shows us that Superman and Wonder Woman have a different kind of relationship than she does with the others.  There is clearly a deeper understanding, respect and tenderness for each other. It is seen in how their battle starts and ends. It can be contrasted for example with how Batman mocks Diana and her heritage even though he worked out what was bothering her. He used anger as a motivation for Diana to ask for help. Kal, however, knew something was wrong the moment she attacked him. He wants to find out what it is and he wants to help her. He never mocks or derides her. In the end he does what she knew he would do. She knows him so well too.

Drakul Karfang has a ton load of personality and is arrogant and cunning and Moeller’s art work is so beautiful. There is real character and presence in the dragon’s expressions and body language. 

Diana is physically rendered perfect to me. But she is smart and compassionate and powerful.  She is seen as perfection and purity; yet in some ways this story also shows she is not so perfect and not so pure. The warrior spirit makes her pragmatic and she will do what she has to even if it means she sacrifices what is dearest to her: the good opinion and trust of her allies.

Without spoiling too much Diana defeats the dragon but she does so by putting her life on the line. She actually fulfills the prophecy. But perhaps the Fates did not account for someone with the powers of a demi-god to reach Diana before her soul departs the world. Superman’s expression speaks volumes as he pleads with Diana to fight.

The following images are just the icing on the cake for us Superman Wonder Woman fans because we get to see how much these two care for each other. The other characters seem to fade into the background as Superman confronts Wonder Woman over her betrayal. 

In the end, the pair sees that while they may or may not do things differently in their fight to keep the world safe, they do care for the same things.  Love, family, friendship…the things that make life worth living.  Special shout out to the lovely nymphs, Althea and Zoe, and the gnome, Elmen. Would not mind seeing them again in the Wonder Woman mythos. Hats off to Christopher Moeller.  I wish I could upload every panel, they are so lush and lovely and full of emotion. I wish DC would let him write her again.