Wicked Comic Con Next Weekend

Wicked Comic Con Boston is happening next weekend!

I didn't think I would be able to get to this convention because I was working a later shift on Saturday the 10th,  making neither weekend day easy to attend. As luck would have it a friend needed a switch and I was able to move to an early shift on Saturday.

While it meant a Saturday con visit was out of the question, it opened up Sunday! 

So I'll be heading to the con! An extra summer treat for me!

I am glad my town has a good comic con. Wicked is young, this being it's third year in it's third venue. But each year they bring in a solid guest list and this year is no different. There are plenty of creators I am looking forward to meeting. Hopefully some of you are heading there too!

Here is a link to the con site: https://www.wickedcomiccon.com/

I don't know if I'll be able to get any commissions given I will only be there Sunday. But I hope I am able to get one from Tom Reilly .

Reilly drew Knight Terrors Superman which included that great Supergirl plot where she was haunted by older versions of herself. Reilly basically had to draw all the big Supergirl costumes in that story (albeit on zombified Supergirls). 

Reilly feels like an up and comer so I hope there is a spot on his sketch list.

But there is more!

Review: Superman Unchained #5

Superman Unchained #5 came out last week and continues to be a very satisfying read. It seems to exist outside of the current DCU, unfettered by current relationships and characterization, and pretty layered in its storytelling. This feels almost like an All-Star or Classified comic right now. And I am not complaining.

Writer Scott Snyder has been moving several plotlines forward without necessarily linking them. As a result, I have been wondering how all these threads with eventually weave together. In this issue, we finally start to see the linkages. And that makes me an entertained reader.

Despite that connectivity, the plot lines continue to churn forward, both coming to an apparent cliffhanger to a climax at the end of this issue. So we haven't all come together quite yet. And some of the bigger mysteries, specifically about the Wraith, remain unsolved keeping my puzzler puzzling away.

Jim Lee continues to provide the bulk of the art on the book although it seems like a stripped down version of his art, less cross-hatching and detail work. More impressive are the Dustin Nguyen pages, sepia soaked flashbacks that veer to horror at the end.

We start out with one of those flashbacks as Clark first shows the ability to overcome gravity as he saves Lana from slipping off a hay silo.

This opens up an ongoing theme in this particular issue, of Clark hiding his super-abilities while in the guise of a 'normal' human and what that means now and in the future.

As I said above, Nguyen shines in these pages, bringing a weathered old photo feel to the memories. And the linework gives it a golden age simplicity. Really nice stuff here.

While Superman brings Wraith the the Fortress, we catch up with Lois who has been kidnapped by Ascension.

At last we begin to see what is connecting the Wraith plotline and the Ascension plotline. It turns out that the leader of the group is Jonathan Rudolph, grandson of the man who created The Machine, the government black ops group that controls the Wraith.

Still wearing electronic masks (confronting Lois with her father's face is a nice touch), Rudolph tells Lois he wants her to tell their story. That is, unless she continues to be a pest ... then he'll kill her.

I love Lois in this book. Running for her life, thinking outside the box, not waiting to be rescued, and standing up to this group of madmen, she is her own hero. And even after this threat, she continues to needle this guy. This is Lois.

Rudolph's father appropriated the 'equation' from the Wraith's ship. He then fed the machine an altered equation, one denying the government its total power.

But Ascension has figured out the true equation. And using it, they are able to construct 'Earthstone', quantities of the blue crystal Lois stumbled upon last issue. And that crystal is able to interact with all technology, controlling it. That is how Ascension has been able to do all the things it has been able to do so far ... like commandeering a midflight helicopter's controls.

And they want to use the Earthstone to reset the world, razing it so something new can grow. I find it amazing how many bad guys want to do the 'Ra's Al Ghul from Batman Begins' scenario.

I can't help but wonder if there will be some connection between the Earthstone and Kryptonian Sunstone crystals. They seem to similar to not effect each other. Will that be how Superman wins?

So the Earthstone and Rudolph's origins provide a link, connecting the Superman/Wraith plotline to the Ascension one.  I was wondering how they would eventually overlap. It feels very organic too, not forced.

Meanwhile, back in the Fortress, we start to hear a little bit of Wraith's origins. His home planet is in the Triangulum galaxy. I suppose that makes my Daxam guess all wrong.

But look at that planet. There is a chunk missing out of it. We wouldn't have that detail unless it somehow matters. But how?

Could Wraith be responsible for some major destruction on his world? Is there any life left after such a planet-wide devastation? And does that make Wraith's speech here ... about wanting to bring knowledge and peace to worlds and thinking the USA was the best way to do that ... just lip service?

I have to think there is more to the Wraith than he is letting on. But he has been a 'good soldier' for 75 years. That is a long time to be biding his time if he had something  up his sleeve.

We saw the concept of 'hiding' in the Smallville flashbacks. Here Wraith brings it up, calling Superman's use of Clark as a sort of limbo, a way of trying to live a normal life when he is an outsider. Wraith hints that perhaps Superman would be better used serving his country.

It leads to an imagined sequence where we see Superman staying young while everyone he calls friends age around him. Wraith is pulling at the right strings. This is Clark and he wants to be a man first, super second. He doesn't consider himself above everyone. So being immortal-ish would definitely separate him. And that would be the right psychological tact to have Superman question his mission and life.

Well it turns out that the Wraith does have something up his sleeve. He was hoping that Superman would take him into the Fortress so he could raid its armory for General Lane.

And yet, The Wraith seems conflicted. He doesn't simply pull the trigger. He awaits the order. But he also seems to plead with Superman to give up his current life, to join the Wraith in a life of servitude to his country. I think the Wraith sees Superman as a kindred spirit and is hoping to have a boon companion.

While I think there are more layers to the Wraith than we have been shown, I simply can't wrap my head around him. Why stay on Earth and serve like this? Why was he sent? Where is he really from?

I talked about how this book feels out of synch with the current DCU. Part of that might be the rather 80's feel to Ascension's plot. It is going to fire all the world's nuclear missiles, scorching the Earth. That does feel a bit retro ... no?

And so much for Lois living to tell the tale.

But the threat is enough to pause Wraith from killing Superman and get the attention of the JLA. Now we will see how tightly this links to the New 52.

I do like that first panel, the electronic mask showing an image of the missiles firing while Lois' distorted reflection look on.

Back to a Smallville memory and Clark saving Lana from a deranged farmer who witnessed his flying trick from the first scene. Whether he likes it or not, Clark can't hide anymore, not when he shields Lana from shotgun blasts.

Now the big revelation this issue is the connection of the plots. The minor revelation is the sight of Wraith's planet. And the nuclear devastation plot is retro enough to feel semi-new. What will Superman do once he stops the missiles? Give them back to the countries they were fired from?

So hurray for all those things.

While beautiful and interesting, the flashback scenes and the 'ever-young Clark' sequence didn't seem to resonate enough with this issue to feel crucial. I don't necessarily think these were wasted pages. They just seemed to slow down the pace of the rest of the book. Maybe I needed a pause to digest what I have been shown prior.

Still, this is minor quibbles. This book remains dense and excellent and has a more classic Superman and Lois.

And what is the Wraith's deal? What I do think is that the Luthor-created Jimmy Olsen Doomsday hand is now going to be used to eliminate the Wraith somehow.

Overall grade: B+

Review: Superman Unchained #3

Superman Unchained #3 came out last week and continued to be a very engaging story with multiple plotlines moving forward. It is only a matter of time before all of them come together, threads weaving a tapestry.

One thing that I like about this first arc is the scope of the story. This is Superman writ big, looking at what the world would be like if there was a pro-active military-based super-power working for America. This is hardly the first time we have seen something like this but usually those stories have the Superman character being raised differently. Here it is another super-being and Superman has to deal with his existence. How can this end? Hopefully not the same way the Man of Steel movie did.

Writer Scott Snyder continues moves that action pretty briskly, working in a classic comic book device of two heroes initially fighting and then teaming up. But action alone can't carry a book for me. I need characterization. Snyder has the right voice for Superman and Lois, both playing major roles in this arc. But he also makes Wraith interesting. And he also makes General Lane a more three-dimensional character, and less of a caricature. That alone is a great feat!

Jim Lee's art is solid enough if less detailed than I am used to seeing from him. That said, the big moments have big art which is always key. And the page layouts vary nicely with a mix of both splash pages and small inset panels as well.

But I have to say, I am wondering how all these plotlines will end up intersecting. And when I am puzzled, I am more invested reader.

We start out in 1938 when Wraith first arrives on Earth after the United States has sent into space a mathematical equation hoping to get a response. 11 seconds later, Wraith crash lands on Earth.

Of course, 1938 isn't just plucked out of the air. It is a nice little homage to the first appearance of Superman.

11 seconds seems like an awfully quick time for a response to happen. Although I don't understand astrophysics enough to know if that is awfully quick or not.

And we know now that Wraith is apparently an alien. That makes the eventual comparison and contrast to Superman that much closer. Two aliens who can process yellow sun energy land on Earth and have very different experiences.

After that flashback, we pick up where last issue left us, with Superman facing off against Wraith and Lane's troops. Feeling threatened, Superman decides to both fight and take flight.

This is one of those multi-panel set-ups that I don't necessarily associate with Lee.

Wraith's cells are packed with energy and he is pretty tough too, stronger and faster then Superman. But one of the things I like is that Wraith himself doesn't seem like a toadie to General Lane. He actually wants to talk to Superman, work with Superman.

But that isn't how these things work in comics. Hard to know if we can call Wraith a hero but it is pretty common for two heroes to brawl the first time the meet.

So we go from tight small panels with lots of story beats to big panels and crazy action. I liked the transition from one page to the next, jarring in a good way.

And we get a great sense of Wraith's power as we see him boot Superman across state lines. By using small panels the page before and then going big, I don't feel cheated as a reader. There is enough story packed in here to allow big art when needed.

There was something sort of Dragon Ball Z-ish about that lower panel. I mean that in the best possible way!

Now while the Wraith plot line is clearly in the forefront, the Ascension terrorist group and their maneuvers are still sizzling in the background. Last issue they simply cut out the power of the plane Lois was flying in.

One thing I love about this book is that Lois is shown to be strong and independent, saving herself instead of hoping Superman will save her.

So she grabs the controls and decides to land the plane herself, a sort of gliding belly-flop. But even better, she uses her brains, guiding the plane into power lines hoping that a massive blackout will bring a rescue party faster then their plane crashing would do alone.

It's a brilliant scene for Lois. Love it.

After their tussle, Wraith convinces Superman to join him in a conversation and to answer some questions. So this isn't Reactron and Metallo out to destroy Superman at General Lane's command. This is someone who thinks he is doing good and wants Superman to join him.

The includes a tour of 'The Machine' a sort of shadowy black-ops military group, led by General Lane, which quietly and anonymously changes the world for the better. And Wraith is the key weapon.

I love this shot, Wraith's fortress of solitude, filled with mementos from his prior missions. This isn't an interplanetary zoo and a giant metal diary. This is a different trophy room, again widening the differences between Superman and Wraith.

I do like how Lane still has his men in the background aiming their 'black hole guns' on Superman. Even in a truce, Lane doesn't trust Superman.

Now I am a firm believer that some villains think they are misunderstood good guys.

Here Lane is able to show on a map how unstable areas of the world are slowly growing smaller and smaller because of the Machine and Wraith. It is hard to deny results like this. Maybe Lane isn't such a bad guy after all? Or maybe he has no right to determine the fates of other countries?

This is a nice gray area which makes Lane, for once, slightly relatable. Instead of a hand wringing xenophobe who hated just to hate, he is someone looking at the big picture.

And then a very nice exchange. He doesn't hate Superman because he is an alien who was romantically interested in Lois.

He hates Superman because Superman could be doing so much more in the world. He could be a 'hero' - at least how Lane defines it. He could be making the world better on a bigger scale.

This is always the argument with Superman. Should he wrest control of the world and make it good? Or should he inspire good? Is he there to rule? Or, as Morrison said, there to pick mankind up when they fall? Should he eliminate evil by killing? Or should he be a role model of compassion?

Whether it is Morrison's JLA or Kelly's 'What's so funny about Truth Justice and the American Way?' or even JMS' dark mirror of Supreme Power, we have seen this argument before. What I love about this is how it makes Lane a more realistic person than the lunatic who swallowed his own gun in War of the Supermen.

As for Lois, the plane crashes into water and sinks.

But before they can abandon the plane, the engines restart and the propellers actually bring the plane to the surface.

The miracle? Someone wielding a blue crystal which seems to give them powers.

Now the glow of this seems to be the same color as the glow of whatever anti-Superman weapon Bruce was hiding last issue. What is this thing? And how is it going to tie into everything? My guess is it can somehow give energy (as it did here) or take energy. Maybe it drains Wraith?

And is it similar to what Bruce had, which we know was built to defeat Superman?

Meanwhile, Ascension (which seems to be the biggest threat of the book) ends up hijacking Russian drones and sending them into Tokyo airspace. With a bigger threat to deal with, the Wraith and Superman put aside their political differences to work together.

I think it fascinating that Ascension, an anti-tech cult seems to have major technology on their side. My guess is that someone has taken over the group for their own ends.

Now Wraith has been a secret weapon, in hiding, and unknown to the world for 75 years. Doesn't this seem a bit conspicuous? Standing on a Tokyo roadway and standing on cars?

Of course, we end with the threat. Wraith knows at some point he will kill Superman.

As has been the case with the book, we get an epilogue by Peter Nguyen.

The last plot has been Luthor breaking free from prison by downloading his sentience into this robot frame, his body inert in the center. Where does he fit into all this? At first I thought he might be behind Ascension but now I don't know. And what the heck does he want with Jimmy Olsen? My guess - all he wants is the signal watch. Luthor wants to talk to Superman about some threat which could effect them both.

I was pretty happy with this issue, mostly because of the more serious and less maniacal look at the US military and General Lane. Lois is treated very well. Wraith and Superman continue to be odd reflections of each other. And the multitude of plots all simmering along are like some puzzle. I am trying to figure out how it will all come together in the end.

While Jim Lee's art isn't his usual dense pencils, there are nice flourishes.

Another solid chapter in Superman Unchained.

Overall grade: B+

Review: Superman Unchained #2

Superman Unchained #2 came out last week and continued to percolate the multiple plotlines that writer Scott Snyder and artist Jim Lee put into motion in the inaugural issue. Between the anti-technology but highly technological terrorist group Ascension, the super-powered military agent Wraith, and Luthor doing 'good' things, this title hit the ground running. Moreover, these are my favorite sorts of plotlines because you know at some point they are all going to merge in to one major event.

Jim Lee's art is solid in this issue. I do have to comment on the cover (something I will comment on in the review as well). This cover image of Superman clutching the American flag could be considered a patriotic image, especially given the proximity to Independence Day. Unfortunately, after reading the story you realize the tanks Superman in fighting on the cover are American tanks! I am pretty sick of story after story of Superman fighting the American military. It would be nice if ... maybe every now and then ... we see Superman fighting along side out troops. Knowing now he is toppling over American troops, this image becomes almost symbolic of treason!

The issue opens with Superman in Dubai. Ascension has bombed the Burj Khalifi, the world's tallest building, toppling the upper half and leaving Superman 11 seconds to save everyone. Snyder gets us inside Superman's head as we hear him wracking his brain to come up with an answer. I think one of the perceived problems of writing Superman is getting around his near omnipotence and perceived infallibility. How can you create conflict or drama in someone this powerful. By reading this desperation in Superman, it humanizes him, let's us now while everything might look easy and rosy, he struggles with answers just like everyone.

Of course this panel got my attention especially given the recent spate of issues around killing and death with the Superman character. Here he talks about coming up with the solution which will cause the least amount of deaths. A Superman willing to concede death isn't necessarily a classic interpretation.

But just when I was getting ready to roll my eyes yet again over a more cavalier approach to death by Superman, Snyder turns things on his head. He actually has Superman come up with the solution to save everyone, freezing the nearby water to prop the building up. Kudos to Snyder for letting Superman save the day completely!

I also love the humility seen in the last text box as Superman thanks whoever is 'up there' for saving these people rather than tooting his own horn. This gets back to a more inspirational Superman character I am used to.

The next stop on Superman's to do list is the Batcave. Superman has asked Batman to investigate whoever pushed the falling satellite out to sea in the last issue. But first we get to see one of Batman's new toys, a suit which renders him invisible to Superman's vision powers. There is something more collegial about this interaction. This isn't Batman sneering saying look what I have. In fact, it is downright friendly for Batman to tell Superman he developed it. Interesting that Superman asks Batman if the suit will be destroyed.

I like the amiable conversation throughout this scene as Bruce and Clark talk about Ascension. I also think it is an telling choice that Clark came in street clothes while Batman is in full regalia. These are the 'real' personas here.

The conversation turns to Ascension at first. The group is powerful enough to be able to commandeer all the airwaves. Powerful enough to knock satellites from the sky. Powerful enough to topple buildings and take over Constructicon like mecha. And yet, their symbol is Ned Ludd famous for destroying machines and impeding technological progress. And we also kept hearing last issue they weren't strong enough to pull this off ... so someone is pulling their strings. Any guesses?

But then the conversation leans towards the unknown 'handprint'. There is some comic book science here as Bruce is able to investigate the presumed appearance of whatever did this and find out that they can absorb sunlight at an even higher efficiency than Clark. In theory this being is stronger than Superman. And that makes Clark a bit concerned. How interesting that Batman is the one who thinks Clark should go in with the idea of trust since this person helped save people.

As I have said before, in the current DCnU Batman is a better mentor than Superman. Batman has multiple proteges. Superman has estranged family. Now Batman is more trusting than Superman. The DCnU is a strange new world.

A cursory conversation with Lois leads Superman to believe the US military is involved with whoever made the handprint. I am trying to place this storyline in the DCnU timeline. With Clark still answering to Lois and the Planet, it is some time in the past.

Superman decides it is time to confront the military about this being. I don't know if I agree with Superman being this pro-active and provocative with the military. Alas, General Lane is all to eager to have a showdown like this. Lane emerges from the bunker with a swagger, calmly sipping his coffee. And then the troops show up, armed with 'black hole' bullets designed to suck solar energy away, a weapon clearly designed specifically for Superman.

Unfortunately, Superman is pretty demanding and threatening here, lighting up his eyes like he is about to kill Dr. Light. It seems a bit too much too soon for this display.

Not surprisingly, one of the troops gets spooked and fires the first shot at Superman, resulting in yet another fight between Superman and America's infantry. I am so weary of this trope.

The black hole bullets seem to work. I worry about this as well. Remember in New Krypton when the military had unlimited Green K bullets, red sun handcuffs, power dampeners, etc. You can't have Superman be 'invulnerable' if the army has many weapons which can kill him.

Luckily (??) the Warith arrives to stop the fight between human and super-human. That's the good news. The bad news is he seems to be itching to fight Superman himself.

So my one problem with this is the fact that the Wraith has been around since at least the 40s. If he is this tough, wouldn't the military have sent him after Superman and other super-heroes long before this? Or is he too uncontrollable for that. I hope that aspect of his origin is explored.

As I said above, it is the multiple plotlines here that are making this an enjoyable book for me. If this was just Superman vs the military I would be pretty underwhelmed.

But there are three scenes that wrap this book up that perked my interest back up.

One, the man found at sea at the end of last issue, the one calling for Lois, turns out to be a member of Ascension who is on the run. My guess is the doctor is about to say there is a 'creature' attached to him. That is fascinating. Could Ascension be some sort of symbiote/alien threat?  Regardless, they aren't happy that Lois is investigating and decide to knock out the tech on her plane. Nice cliffhanger for that plot line.

And nice characterization of Lois in this book, running the show but still doing some of the legwork for stories.

And Luthor finally shows his true colors, taking pieces of the miniature solar 'tree' fed city he was designing and making it into some makeshift armor to escape captivity. As I said last issue, why would anyone give Luthor access to any technology.

One thing I did like about this escape is that Luthor knew the prison would use sedating gas to stop him if he went rogue so he somehow downloaded his consciousness/personality into the suit. I love this image of an incapacitated Lex flopping in the exoskeleton while a smirking image of him does some trash talking.  Nice cliffhanger here as well.

The epilogue is also interesting. Again we focus on Batman and how he has kept assurances against Superman at Superman's insistence. So there won't be destruction of the 'invisibility suit' and there won't be destruction of some unnamed odd appearing crystal spike either.

Again, I like the feeling of cooperation here. This isn't Batman preparing for Superman on his own, paranoid. And this is Superman making sure someone can stop him, someone he trusts.

But this completely feels like the loaded gun seen in the first act of a movie. You know it will be fired by the end. I won't be surprised if Superman ends up using some of these anti-Superman devices himself as he fights his dark reflection Wraith. So presumed nice foreshadowing here.

So, like many of my Superman reviews these days, this is a measured review. There were some very nice moments here. In particular, the opening scene and Superman's internal dialogue was very good. But the confrontation with General Lane and the Superman/army fight seemed forced and overdone. In fact, that scene alone soured the rest of the book for me.

Am I being blown away by this comic. No. But I am finding it to be a dense multilayered Superman book with decent characterization. As with Superman, I am more interested in the background plot threads than the main one where Superman is squaring off against the Army's super-man. Had Superman not initiated the conflict with the Army I might have given this issue a higher grade.

Overall grade: B