Phantom Stranger (vol.4) #1 (2012)

Phantom Stranger (vol.4) #1 (December, 2012)
"When You're a Stranger"
Writer - Dan DiDio
Penciller - Brent Anderson
Embellishments - Philip Tan
Colorist - Ulises Arreola
Letterer - Travis Lanham
Editor - Will Moss
Special Thanks - Geoff Johns
Cover Price: $2.99

Another dip into the stormy seas of the New 52.  This volume of The Phantom Stranger brought with it a particular interest, as it was when they were finally going to reveal his origin.  It's amazing to think that a character who had been around nearly a half-century had never been given a decisive origin... until this volume, apparently.

This one has been in the library awhile, likely picked up on a whim... left to sit in my ever-expanding pile of "to reads" until my recent flight of fancy to "get to know" the New 52 a bit better.  I really want to be able to talk... perhaps not with any measure of wisdom... but at least with rationality about the subject.  I often take others to task for "knee jerk" reactions when it comes to subjects like the Chromium Age of Comics (1990's) and Rob Liefeld... I figure I may as well try and curb my own.

I hope at the very least this endeavor will make my reaction to hearing The New 52 go from "ewww" to "ehhh".  I feel I have perhaps given the incentive a bit of an unfair shake... I suppose a half-decade of stewing over the losses of "my" characters has finally kind of given way to curiosity.  Let's see where this takes us...

--

We open on a park in New York City.  A child is chasing a soccer ball and soon finds himself bumping into a tall, dark, be-hatted gentleman.  He introduces himself as "the Phantom Stranger"... and this young fella was raised right, he plainly states he's not supposed to talk to "strangers".  Instead of engaging in idle chit-chat, the boy proceeds to kick his soccer ball into traffic... and chase it into the path of an oncoming car.

Our next scene is the boy's funeral.  Friends and family are all lined up at the casket to offer their respects.  Among the queue is a dark-haired young woman who nobody appears to recognize.  She becomes overcome by the emotion in the church and bails out into a surprisingly dark and disgusting alley.

Outside she gets into something of a shadow battle with an as of yet unknown foe.  Of course we know this is the Phantom Stranger... who addresses her as Rachel, and makes mention of her father Trigon.  I can't remember if Raven had shown up in the New 52 version of Teen Titans by this point, so this may very well be her "first" appearance.  The Stranger claims he is here to help her, and takes her to a local eatery to talk.

While there, the pair are attacked by members of the Church of Blood, who in this DC Universe follow Trigon rather than Brother Blood.  I can't seem to remember Trigon ever being behind the Church before this issue, though I'll concede I may be misremembering.  Rather than fight, the Stranger opens a portal for them to step through... on the other end, is Stonehenge.

Stonehenge is a familiar local to Rachel, as this is where she first appeared on Earth after fleeing Azarath.  She fears that this would be the first place Trigon would check in order to find/reclaim her.  She argues with the Stranger, only to get zapped.  You see, the Phantom Stranger has been using her.  Trigon blasts onto the scene and draws his daughter back to Azarath.

The Stranger and Trigon speak.  It is hinted that the Phantom Stranger has been cursed due to a past betrayal.  For each betrayal he commits, a silver coin falls from the Stranger's necklace... this will lead to the revelation that the Phantom Stranger is the biblical Judas Iscariot.

Later, we observe the Stranger returning home.  He is greeted by his wife and two young children.

As the family embraces, the woman known only as Pandora looks on from outside their window.

--

I'm starting to get the impression that most of my New-52 era reviews will all be kinda samey (or more samey than my usual fare already is...).  This was... okay.  I didn't love or hate anything about it... however, I guess I can say that I'm glad I didn't pay cover price for it.

The art was very nice, and really fit the mood of the piece.  The writing... was okay.  Again, nothing overtly bad, and nothing that really stood out as exceptionally good.  I'm not terribly interesting in how this story continues, and have no real sense of urgency as it pertains to picking up subsequent issues.

I'm still not quite sure where I stand in regard to the impending origin reveal.  The more I consider it, the more I really dig that we never really "knew" the Phantom Stranger.  Just as the name implies... he's a stranger.  In actually providing a definitive origin, I feel there may be a bit less mystique to the character.  I suppose it's to be expected in today's comics landscape... it seems as though nobody is satisfied "not knowing"... I miss the days where not everything needed to be spelled out.  I never needed to know that Wolverine was a rich kid named James Howlett... and I never needed to know that the Phantom Stranger was Judas Iscariot.

--

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Voodoo #2 (2011)

Voodoo #2 (December, 2011)
"reflections"
Story - Ron Marz
Art - Sami Basri w/Hendry Prasetya
Color - Jessica Kholinne
Letters - Jared K. Fletcher
Assistant Editor - Darren Shan
Editor - Brian Cunningham
Cover Price: $2.99

As we enter the last few weeks of what remains of The New 52, I decided it may be interesting to take a look back at some random bits and bobs of the era that nearly ended my (DC) comics fandom.  During the first year of the initiative, I was quite an unhappy boy.  Perhaps taking things a tad too personally, I felt betrayed... insulted even.

These characters were no longer mine... these stories were not written for me.  I felt like a relic of a bygone era... the last dead leaf on the tree, just waiting for that one stiff wind to knock me off.

I put most of my eggs in the Marvel Comics basket during this time.  As I sit writing this half a decade later, I am amazed by just how far the pendulum has swung in the interim.  Today's Marvel is just as unrecognizable to me as 2011's DC... I guess my only solace is that the "big two" are at least taking turns destroying their respective universes, and alienating long-time fans.  If they were ever to do it at the same time... well, at least I've got my back issues.

Anyhoo, with all that nonsense spouted... let's take a look at a random New 52 issue.

--

We open with a couple laying in a bed.  It soon becomes apparent to the reader that the male half of the equation is in fact Voodoo having taken the form of Tyler Evans, a Federal Agent.  She assumed his form in order to learn some information from his partner Jessica Fallon.  It is made pretty clear that the situation is sexual in nature.  Fallon appears to feel a measure of guilt for indulging, and excuses herself to smoke a cigarette.

Her phone rings, and the Caller ID shows that Chief Hurley is attempting to make contact.  Voodoo-as-Tyler stops Jessica from answering the call, before having another go.  Following, "Tyler" excuses himself to powder his nose.  Voodoo returns to her own form while in the restroom,

Now alone, Agent Fallon calls in to the Chief.  She appears to hear some rather surprising news about her partner, which tells her she'd been sleeping with an impostor.  Gun drawn, she charges into the bathroom... however, there is nobody there.

Later, Fallon meets up with the Hurley and is shown her partner Tyler's corpse.  She believes Voodoo is behind it all, and is informed that she is currently using the name Pricilla Kitaen.

We rejoin Voodoo walking down a street.  She is telling herself that she "needs to be gone from here".  She is approached by a fella who appears to have some bad intentions in mind for Ms. V.  Before he can act, he notices a pair of red dots on Voodoo's shirt... the kind that may be the result of a laser scope on a sniper rifle.

Two tranquilizer bullets are fired.  One lands in the man's shoulder... the other into Voodoo's.  As she drops to her knees, she finds herself surrounded by the Black Razors.  It appears as though the tranquilizer dart did not affect Voodoo, as she quickly transforms into her more alien form and begins striking back at the Razor team members.

During the skirmish, the Razors call in their "big gun" Black Jack.  He's a cigar-chomping monochromatic man-o-war whose ground landing causes the Earth around him to shake.  Voodoo ducks into a dilapidated building, and before he can give chase Agent Fallon gets in his face.  She pulls rank, claiming that she will be the one to pursue Voodoo.  She gives Black Jack the safe word "Ripley", just in case Voodoo tries to pass herself off in her stead, before heading in.

Once inside Fallon gets jumped by Voodoo, causing her to drop her pistol.  The two wrestle about trying to get to the gun.  Fallon finds herself in a Voodoo headlock, and is able to back her attacker into a mirror, breaking it... before reclaiming her pistol.  From the outside we head several gunshots, and Fallon emerges.  Her first word is "Ripley".  She claims that Voodoo is inside... dead.

Moments later, the real Fallon charges from the building.  Black Jack knows that Voodoo stole the safe word by utilizing her telepathic powers.

Later we find Voodoo grabbing a cup of coffee at a diner.  While there a kind waitress shows concern about a pretty girl travelling all by herself.  Voodoo smiles claiming that she may just have a trick or two up her sleeve.  Our next image blurb promises a visit from Green Lantern Kyle Rayner.

--

I must admit, when I first heard there was going to be a Voodoo book during the New 52 launch I really had no idea what DC was thinking.  This sort of thing just felt about 15 years too late.  My WildStorm knowledge is limited at best, though in my teenage years I did read WildC.A.T.S. and a bit of Gen13.  I really didn't know what to expect here... the only thing I knew for sure was that this title wasn't long for the world.

... and that's really kind of a shame.  This wasn't the best thing I've ever read, but it certainly wasn't bad.  The art (both cover and interior) is amazing.  Cover artist, John Tyler Christopher draws an eye-catching Voodoo, and absolutely makes this book stand out.

The story was fine as well.  Like I said, I don't have too much knowledge when it comes to this character... however, during this issue I come to find that she is desperately trying to protect her people and will go to (m)any lengths to do so.  I'll admit the opening several pages were perhaps a bit gratuitous... but this is contemporary comics... that train has kind of already left the station.

This is one of the New 52 books that has began showing up in cheap-o bins locally... which is where I found it.  I did not pick this one up at launch, as my comics-dollar was so stretched during those first few months of the reboot... and I simply couldn't afford to try everything.  Picking this one up on the cheap... I'm satisfied.  I feel I got my money's worth, and enjoyed my time checking in on a too-this-point relative unknown.  I will say I would be interested in following this one, should the opportunity arise.

--

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Simon Dark #1 (2007)

Simon Dark #1 (December, 2007)
"What Simon Does"
Writer - Steve Niles
Artist - Scott Hampton
Letters - Todd Klein
Colors - Chris Chuckry
Assistance Editor - Stephanie Buscema
Editor - Joey Cavalieri
Cover Price: $2.99

This is one of those books that I remember actually buying.  I was checking out with my normal weekly stack, and the fella behind the counter recommended it... saying it would be like The Crow.  I guess my indifference caught him off guard (I've never seen or read anything related to The Crow), so because kinda spun into "hard sell mode".  Telling me I really didn't wanna miss out on this one, because he felt it was going to be the next big thing.

At the time I was doing comic reviews at my old blog (which I'm currently scouring for anything that may have held up), so I figured "What the heck?"... I picked it up, and after working my way through my pile of books... I finally checked out Simon Dark.  Following my normal synopsis-section, I'm going to include my original review from late 2007, and follow that up with my current thoughts and see if there has been any change in my opinion.

--

We open on the remains of a Gotham City church.  Two blindfolded men are being marched toward it by a group of characters wearing balaclavas.  We appear to be in the midst of a ritualistic murder.  The two fellas are lined up, and one of the masked men is set to put a bullet in the back of each of their heads.

He's able to fire off one shot before a curious individual enters the scene.  He is wearing a patchwork mask, a red and black striped shirt, and a tattered trench coat.  Why he waited until one of the murders was able to take place is unknown... I guess he draws the line at two.  He leaps over the gunman and produces a sort of garrote and decapitates him with precision.

The balaclava boys are all chased off, and our man helps the surviving captive to his feet.  His savior asks for a reward of food, and so he empties his wallet.  Our patchwork fellow is the star of this series, he is Simon Dark.

We shift scenes to a bit later.  The coroner's wagon is en route to the dilapidated church.  Inside is medical examiner, Beth Granger.  Upon arrival, both bodies are discovered.  The first with a bullet lodged in the back of its head, the other whose decapitation is so cleanly done that it is assumed to have been done with a buzz saw.

Beth is chatted up by a detective with whom she she seems to share a mutual attraction.  Her dedication to her duty precludes her from exploring those feelings more freely.  The 'Tec informs her that the headless fella went by the name of Richard Guest, a software executive worth millions.

As the meat wagon pulls away, Granger overhears the nearby children singing a nursery rhyme about a protector who hides in the park... who goes by the name of Simon Dark.  This song appears to follow her all the way back into the city proper, and into a local convenience store.  The cashier tells her to pay it no mind, as it's just a silly song the neighborhood kids made up.

We shift again to an unmarked moving truck.  Inside are a father and daughter who are new to Gotham.  The girl doesn't seem to be all that fond of her new city, but does mention that the burned-down church they passed was "kinda cool".  They reach their destination, and begin to move their belongings inside.  Atop a pile of books is Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe.  From off panel, a gloved hand swipes it... and leaves a buck in its stead.

In a darkened mansion a group of (presumably evil) older men are convening.  The news of the day is the death of Richard Guest... and the odd freak that did him in.  One of the underlings takes full responsibility, and promises to make things right.  His bargaining chip... is his life.

We finally return to Simon, and observe him creeping through the (at the moment unattended) convenience store.  He picks up assorted sundries including some kitty chow, and leaves a wad of cash on the counter before being nearly discovered.

Simon returns to the church, where he's apparently made his home.  He hops down, feeds his cat, and begins reading his newly found book.

--

Original Review (dated 10/16/2007):

Rounding out this week's reviews is a book featuring a BRAND-NEW character in the DC Universe... Simon Dark.  Simon Dark #1 is by Steve Niles and features art by Scott Hampton.  This book became my "bottom of the pile book" after I flipped thru it, and saw that it may be a chore to get through.  Not that it looked bad, necessarily... it, just looked like a book that I'd try-out, and never pick up again.  This book featured several elements I don't exactly dig. Elements that I'm not entirely sure are elements, however, are things I feel are cliche. 

For example, a Gothic character reading out of an Edgar Allen Poe book.  A lead character who is shown brutally killing someone in the beginning of the chapter, and then gently feeding a cat at the end.  Then, quite possibly my least favorite comic book storytelling tool of the past decade... the "man on the street" point of view. It was fun when it wasn't done as often... but, now if it isn't a Police Officer's point of view, it's a Newspaper Writer's... if it's not a Newspaper Writer's, it's an EMT's... I understand what it's trying to accomplish... establish a bit of a character menagerie, and add a bit to the story at large... but, it just feels so contrived. 

Expository dialogue and all. I'd be remiss not to mention, the one bit that I really had a hard time swallowing... The fact that this book is based in Gotham City, features ritualistic murders... and there was no sight or mention of, uh, I dunno... Batman!  I'm hoping that Batman's non-appearance in this issue (and maybe arc/series as a whole), is something that will be addressed.  Like, maybe Batman knows of this Simon Dark, and is watching him from off-panel. As for Simon himself... he's pretty much, just there.  This issue, at least for me... seemed to showcase more the feel of this neck of Gotham than the Simon character himself.  I think I'll try to stick with this book thru it's opening arc.  I certainly enjoyed the artwork, though... muddy and dark, fully fitting the mood... and the Simon design is fantastic... there's almost a familiar feel to him, while at the same time, he looks completely new.

--

2016 Revisit:

Upon reflecting on my earlier review (from almost a decade ago... where does the time go?) I think I may have been a tad unfair.  What I held against it was really my failing to see the forest for the trees.  Being as though this was set in Gotham, I automatically assumed it would be at least somewhat in the "shadow of the bat".  In rereading I see how bad an idea that would have been.  Simon Dark is its own animal, it doesn't need any Bat-character cameos or lore.

I feel I mistook character introductions for an enforced "point of view" tool.  I'm really unsure where my head was at back in 2007... perhaps I'd just read one of those horrendous Frontline minis from Marvel and triggered some Post-Boring-Story-Device-Stress.  The side characters introduced here did not overstay their welcome, and make me wonder how all of their disparate worlds would collide in the coming chapters.

My only real complaint would be how little screen time Simon gets... and even that, I can appreciate why they chose to keep him somewhat scarce.  To me, it's a sign of a good story and a captivating character when I'm really curious and anxious to know more about him right off the bat.

Some things from the first review that I maintain... I still really dig the art.  It fits the tone of this book perfectly.  Also, I still feel as thought him reading the Poe book is a little bit too "cute"... and the juxtaposition between the precise murder and lovingly feeding his cat feels a little bit played.  It reminds me of a scene in a mafia movie where the "Big Boss" is crying during his daughter's dance recital, and meanwhile his "boys" are offing some poor fool.  Like, we get it... he's got layers.

I don't head a whole lot about this (good or bad) online... but I feel it's definitely worth checking out.  It's not available digitally, however the entire run has been collected in three volumes.  As of this writing, Instocktrades has all three available for under $10 apiece.  If you're looking for something a bit different that still takes place in the (pre-Flashpoint) DC Universe, you can do far worse than Simon Dark.

--

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Such a disappointment...

Superman/Shazam!: First Thunder #1 (2005)

Superman/Shazam!: First Thunder #1 (November, 2005)
"A Face in the Crowd!"
Writer - Judd Winick
Artist - Joshua Middleton
Letterer - Nick J. Napolitano
Associate Editor - Tom Palmer Jr.
Editor - Mike Carlin
Cover Price: $3.50

After finishing my post-Crisis Captain Marvel 101 course, I figured I'd stay on the Shazam! train and check out the... um, post-Crisis (?) post-Zero Hour (?) post-Infinite Crisis (?)... er, let's just say pre-Flashpoint Captain Marvel's first meeting with the Man of Steel.

--

We open on the wizard Shazam as he recounts the many marvels (no pun intended) of the DC Universe including the usual suspects... Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Batman and Superman.

Meanwhile, in Fawcett City a small advertising plane has lost control and is plummeting toward the crowded street below.  Just as its about to "take a little off the top" for some Fawcett residents, Captain Marvel grabs it by the tail and keeps it in the sky.

At the Metropolis Museum of Natural History a heist is underway.  As the man in charge shouts orders to some flunkies, he fails to notice that Superman silently snared them up.  The big bad and some of his cronies draw magical canes from their holsters and summon a large gollum looking beast from the void.

Superman and the beast do battle with neither really getting the upper hand.  Superman is somewhat surprised at how fast this creature is for its rather large size.  The monster is finally knocked off of its feet, and when Superman attempts to lay in with a K.O. right, it vanishes... leaving only a tiny coin in its wake.

Back in Fawcett, Captain Marvel is readying himself for a battle with two large fire-breathing robots.  During the fight, he takes them apart piece by piece and finishes one off by throwing a gas tanker truck into its face.  The other goes down after Cap gives it the robo-version of a lobotomy.  Dr. Bruce Gordon (hmmm...) is there to witness the event.

That night, Billy Batson and best buddy Scott Cooper are camping out.  Scott shows Billy the newspaper, the cover story of which is a celebration of Captain Marvel's day-saving exploits.  The paper also shows the story of the Metropolis Museum heist... and mentions that Russian Artifacts were stolen.

We take a break from the heroes to pop in on Dr. Sivana, who is the C.E.O. of Sivana Industries... and likely not Billy Batson's uncle at this time.  It is revealed that he was behind the failed giant robot attack in Fawcett City.  He asks his assistant to get Lex Luthor on the phone to get an idea on how to handle his "Captain Marvel problem".

Returning to Billy, we find him standing in front of the McKeon History Museum... where there is also, in Billy's words "a bunch of old Russian stuff".  He Shazams! up, and enters the museum.

Inside he finds the same heist-guys from the Metropolis job.  This time the baddies summon two beasties.  Cap runs into battle, head first... only to get knocked all the way out of the building!

Outside he finds himself in the presence of the Man of Steel, who offers to give him a hand...

--

Wow, this was pretty to look at.  I was first introduced to Joshua Middleton during the NYX miniseries (which, if I recall correctly introduced X-23 into the Marvel Universe proper).  His art was so drastically different that you couldn't help but notice it.  I enjoyed it there, and I enjoy it here.

Judd Winick runs hot and cold with me.  When he's telling a comic book story, I think he's great... when he's standing on his oft-used soapbox, I have (less than) no interest.  Here he writes a story... or at least the first chapter of one... and for what it is, it's quite nice.  Keeping in mind that this is a current millennium book... which means it takes all of five minutes to read, and nothing much actually happens.  This is clearly being written for the bookstore audience, and probably makes for a much more satisfying read in TPB format.

As a single-issue?  Like I said, not much happens... and what does happen, at least as it pertains to the fabled (and promised) "first meeting" between the Man of Steel and Earth's Mightiest Mortal, is as predictable as can be.  Even before I cracked this one open, I knew the two wouldn't meet until the final page... these kind of books are just a bit too formulaic.

Cannot recommend this one at its cover price, if we're talking about story... $3.50 is way too high.  The art, does make up for a great deal... but, I'd still feel a bit ripped-off had I paid full-price.  I paid 40-cents, and feel I got my money's worth.  If you see this on the cheap, it's worth it for the art alone.  If you come across the trade, maybe give it a flip through.

--

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