25°
Countdown to Final Crisis #7 (DC)
As the DC Universe gears up for its Final Crisis miniseries and crossover this summer, the various plot threads are beginning to converge. Countdown has been released weekly for about a year and deals with several characters such as Jimmy Olsen, Harley Quinn, Jason Todd (the second Robin), Mary Marvel, members of the Legion of Super-Heroes and the Flash villains Piper and Trickster. The series was a bit unwieldy at points, the various stories of these characters dealing little with the other, but now each player has been transported to Apokolips, the hellish dominion of Darkseid. Each hero is prepared to enter the Final Crisis event, and the other series’ various plots (such as in Justice League of America, Justice Society of America, Salvation Run, etc.) that deal with the various parallel dimensions and the government’s detaining of super villains are also picking up steam. This is exciting if you are already reading several DC titles but nearly impossible to comprehend for an outsider. Final Crisis is meant to restructure the DC Universe, so I’d almost recommend holding off reading DC (if you are so inclined) until the dust settles and we see what storylines actually mattered.
JSA Presents: Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Vol. 1 (DC)
Geoff Johns is one of DC’s most prolific writers. He has taken the helm of Teen Titans, Superman, Action Comics, Justice Society of America, The Flash and Booster Gold and even wrote the flagship title for DC’s 2005 to 2006 crossover event, Infinite Crisis. But this series, Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E, is where Johns began his DC career. It’s a younger book about Courtney Whitmore, a high school girl whose stepfather turns out to be a WWII superhero. Using his advanced knowledge, her stepfather creates the armored suit S.T.R.I.P.E., and Courtney, finding his older costume, adopts the identity of The Star-Spangled Kid (basically to anger her stepfather). Courtney will later become a member of the Justice Society of America and, using Starman’s Cosmic Rod (stop snickering, you children), becomes Stargirl. But this first series, collected in two trade paperbacks, is important for two reasons. On one hand, we see Johns’ control of comic characters in outlandish, humorous situations, but on the other, we see the origin of one of DC’s rising superstars. While the sometimes childish situations (high school teachers turn super villains) may turn off more “mature” readers, Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. manages to stand up to scrutiny because it reflects on the legacy of DC while also looking forward into new terrain. Plus there are a lot of cameos!
Logan (Marvel)
X-Men fans may want to pick up this series, which came out last week. With only three issues, this is a story about Wolverine confronting his past (after the House of M event, Logan remembered his past, something that had been shrouded in mystery). Written by Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Lost) and illustrated by Eduardo Risso (100 Bullets), this is a short series you’ll want to sink your adamantium claws into.
Add your review: