Last Week’s Comics 7/27/2011

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War of the Green Lanterns Aftermath #1

(DC – writer: Tony Bedard; art: Miguel Sepulveda & Tyler Kirkham)

From War of the Green Lanterns Aftermath, I get the feeling DC wants all their loose ends tied up before the big shift in September. Tony Bedard does a great job of carrying over the tensions from the previous saga, but a lot of it feels rushed. Since this is only the first of two issues, there’s not much room for the story to breathe before it hits the ground running again. While I liked Aftermath, it would have been better suited as a three-part arc set out over three months, not stuffed into one immediately following a massive crossover between all the Green Lantern titles.

For those who haven’t been following Green Lantern, Krona – the rogue Guardian – returned the yellow impurity to the green rings, turning the Lanterns against each other and any sentient life in the universe. Millions of Lanterns died, and millions more were created by Mogo (who himself was infected). To defeat Krona, remove the impurity and save the Guardians, Hal Jordan banded together with Sinestro, Kyle, Guy and John, and they put on uninfected rings – namely the red, yellow, blue, violet, and orange rings. Hal succeeded in killing Krona (with Sinestro’s help), but to stop the flow of infected rings, John Stewart had to kill Mogo. The ramifications of this have led to Sinestro getting his green ring back, Hal being banned from the corps and Kyle and John having to deal with their friendship eroding like a Long Island beach.

So why, with everything going on, does DC want to wrap this up? There are so many avenues the story can follow, but instead we’re given snippets of follow-up as Tony Bedard tries to address each loose end. But with a story on this kind of scale, doing this feels cheap. There’s at least a year’s worth of storytelling to be done here, with each story taking place in its own respective title. Jamming a conclusion down readers’ throats isn’t the way to solve this issue. I think Johns and Co. should have discussed their plans with DC so as not to rush such an epic tale.

There are great moments in this book: John and Kyle have to reconcile with John’s actions, but neither can do it. When Kilowog learns of Jordan’s banishment and Sinestro’s return, he tosses his ring away. It is one of the more emotional moments of this book (subsequently, this is wrapped up in three pages). Ganthet – who lost his hand in the battle – has it returned by Saint Walker, the Blue Lantern leader, but this also leads to a return of his loneliness for his lost love. Lastly, Soranik Natu (Sinestro’s daughter) is asked to exact revenge for the millions of Lanterns who died – by killing her father.

With everything packed into this book, seeing it resolved in the next issue is going to feel like a lump of dry bread in readers’ throats. I’m excited for DC’s “reboot” in September, but I lament the cost when I see an issue like this.

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Daredevil #1

(Marvel – writer: Mark Waid; art: Paolo Rivera)

I don’t read much Daredevil, and I’m wholly unfamiliar with the character. I am, however, well-versed in Mark Waid’s writing, so I took a chance on a character of whom I have a tenuous grasp at best. That said, I enjoyed the hell out of Daredevil #1.

When I read Daredevil years ago, he was dealing with Bullseye taking his identity, and the caption at the top of the comic changed from “The Man Without Fear” to “The Man Without Pity.” Bullseye went around in a Daredevil suit beating the piss out of people and destroying Daredevil’s credibility. But I don’t remember why. What I do remember is that the issues were dark and violent. Daredevil was serious and foreboding, much like Batman.

Waid takes a completely different approach as Matt Murdock is written less like Bruce Wayne and more like Peter Parker. The issue is very lighthearted, and the majority of it stars Matt Murdock, not Daredevil. Matt’s banter with characters is funny and quick. He spends most of the issue dealing with people who believe he’s Daredevil (because his identity was leaked to the public, and while he’s spent a lot of time trying to convince people otherwise, they still believe it).

For a character about whom I know very little, I found Daredevil to be, for lack of a better word, charming. I mentioned how he reads like Spider-Man, and that’s because a lot of his actions are whimsical. There’s no darkness here, except for Matt’s lack of eyesight. But Waid does a great job of reorienting this idea and playing up Daredevil’s other strengths. He makes sure to mention an ability in each scene. Some might find this tiresome, but I think Waid knew that new readers would be attracted by a #1 issue, so he thoughtfully put enough backstory in there to catch readers up. The major purpose of the arc has yet to be revealed, but the last two pages make Daredevil look completely vulnerable, and readers will be surprised who his attacker is (as it’s teased on the last page).

I loved this issue. I think Waid is breathing new life into this character, and I say that as a comic book fan who took a chance on this issue and is now intent on going back for more. I feel more acquainted with Daredevil than before, and I’m curious to see how the events in this introductory issue play out in his future.

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