Doomsday Clock, Geoff Johns’ and Gary Frank’s merging of the Watchmen and the mainstream DC universe, had a fascinating first issue if you were willing to set aside your preconceptions. That’s something the second issue underscores, as it dumps our preconceptions on their heads.
The short of it: Ozymandias, a suspicious new Rorschach, and two supervillains escape into a new universe where Dr. Manhattan is hiding. It seems, at least at first, to be the mainstream DC universe. You’ve got Batman, Gotham, Lex Luthor, and all that. But it quickly becomes clear just what Johns and Frank are really up to, here, which we won’t spoil, but let’s just say as smart as Ozymandias is, he’s not as smart as he thinks.
Fans have argued a lot over this series, but Watchmen, but what’s most interesting about this book is how Johns and Frank respectfully pay tribute to the original book while putting their own spin. Why, precisely, two second-rate supervillains are along for the ride turns out to be a clever riff on Manhattan’s fundamental buried humanity. And the twist Johns puts on the end makes this book that much more attention-getting. Give it a try with an open mind, and you might be surprised.
James Bond: Kill Chain #6, Dynamite
Andy Diggle and Luca Casalanguida wrap up their tribute to old-school Bond theatrics in the way you’d expect; a massive fight on an airplane that Bond promptly lights on fire. Joking aside, their love of the movies and their action scenes shines through her, and Cadalanguida in particular has a lot of fun with the layouts and action sequences as this team pays off the miniseries in style. And, if that weren’t enough, there’s more on the way, as the ending hints.
Eternity #3, Valiant Comics
Matt Kindt and Trevor Hairsine have, in their books about the cosmonaut turned god Abram Adams, been more interested in the philosophical questions surrounding a human attaining godlike power than superheroics and here, in particular, that obsession pays off. While the book has broader implications for Valiant’s excellent superhero work, it’s really more a story about what you do when faced with the fact that even god-like power can’t fix your basic flaws. Even gods, in Kindt and Hairsine’s estimation, need to work on themselves.
Phoenix Resurrection: The Return Of Jean Grey #1, Marvel
Bringing Jean Grey back to life is a fairly intimidating task in of itself, and one made heavier by editorial mandate: Don’t bring her back unless you can redeem her from that whole “murdered a bunch of galaxies” thing. Marvel has sort of cheated around this rule, bringing back Jean Grey before she became Phoenix and introducing her daughter from an alternate timeline. Here, though, Matthew Rosenberg and Leinil Francis Yu tackle the task in reverse: Maybe Jean doesn’t want to come back, but something is dragging her back whether she wants to go or not.
Void Trip #2, Image Comics
Ryan O’Sullivan and Plaid Klaus continue their parody of ’60s trips with this hilarious second issue. A hippie and a square are in space looking for Euphoria, and it goes about as well as you’d expect a journey where the responsible guy isn’t in charge will go. Amid the ’60s parody, including a truly hilarious mockery of the pompous discussions of God you find in these things, there’s still a fun story in here, admittedly one that skips around a bit more. Hey, our heroes are wasted half the time, they’re not keeping track of the plot.
Bonehead #1, Image Comics: Bryan Edward Hill and Rhoald Marcellius offer a fun cyberpunk kung-fu action book that’s short on logic but incredibly long on fun.
Spider-Men II #5, Marvel: Brian Michael Bendis and Sarah Pichelli wrap up a book all about how being Spider-Man makes two different people feel into a winning summation of the character.
Batman And The Signal #1, DC Comics: Duke Thomas gets his long-overdue solo miniseries from Scott Snyder, Tony Patrick and Cully Hamner, and it’s a delightful riff on Batman’s relationship to the night. After all, Gotham has a daytime, too: Who’s protecting that? Duke, it turns out, however reluctantly.
Rasputin: The Voice Of The Dragon #3, Dark Horse: Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson and Christopher Mitten offer a prequel of sorts to Hellboy that ramps up in its penultimate issue.
Eugenic #3, BOOM! Studios: James Tynion IV, Eryk Donovan and Dee Cunniffe wrap up their miniseries about the human race being forcibly subjected to eugenics with a glimpse of the far future. The series ends on a dark note suggesting that humans, no matter how “perfect,” will only evolve by learning from their mistakes, not editing them out.
This Week’s Best Collections
Iceman Vol. 1: Thawing Out, Marvel ($16, Softcover): Sina Grace’s superb superhero book, about a newly out Bobby Drake, may have been canceled, but don’t let that be your excuse to miss what’s been one of Marvel’s best solo stories in years.
Saga Vol. 8, Image Comics ($15, Softcover): The thoughtful, brilliant SF… well, saga is back with a new volume, as Bryan K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples get more than a little bit country.
Life With Kevin Vol. 1, Archie Comics ($15, Softcover): Dan Parent, who writes and draws this book, has been working for years to modernize Archie’s gentle humor. This might be the best example as he follows an adult Kevin Keller trying to make it in New York City, his best friend Veronica in tow.