Pull List Review - April 16, 2008

Batman and the Outsiders #6 - You may recall that last month BATO shot to the top of my "Most Anticipated" list, due to Ralph and Sue Dibny exchanging their Thin Man homage for a Topper homage. Unfortunately, they don't appear this month, but I'm sure they'll show up before the end of the story. This issue has a terrific opening that's cute and page-turn thrilling. It's great to see Sapphire Stagg again; unfortunately, there's no recap of where their relationship is. With all of Rex's deaths, that Shift character, Java (her husband) being dead and then rejavanated.... I don't know if she's Rex's wife or not. Hopefully we'll get more character development on that front. Meanwhile, the issue is good, so long as you buy into the whole Dixon "real world" feel. Sometimes it's a tough sell, trying to believe that a bunch of superheroes... most with strong ties to the JLA... can't get to the moon. I mean, the JLA had a base there for years. Batman must still own a teleporter somewhere. It's hard enough believing Batman is so self-reliant that he can't call for some power-ringed help when it happens in Batman's own books, but when you pull this in a title like Outsiders one begins to wonder if Batman just likes making his job harder by setting up artificial barriers.

Artificial barriers also crop up in Dixon's Robin #173, where Tim mentions that he can't always go running to Batman for help. Again, it looks like a character growth lesson, and really it's just a way to explain how characters can have adventures on their own without the joined universe intruding. Some good writing here as well. The return of Spoiler is played in reverse of how one would expect in a comic book story. Usually, the dead character returns, the mourning friend is guarded but hopeful, then finally accepting, and then it turns out it's a clone/robot/Durlan/pretender and our lead character is crushed. Here, Tim is obstinately unaccepting and doesn't buy it for a second, and it may actually be true. I have a hard time believing Tim is so pig-headed he won't even listen to what she's saying (we can all see what's about to happen when he ignores her warning), but stress of seeing a dead girlfriend can do that to a person. Plus, Chuck believes in finding the flaws in your heroes.

Flawed heroes and page-turn panels also crop up in Tom Peyer's The Flash #239. I was balking at the flimsy premise that a villain named Spin who can manipulate public sentiment could turn people against the Flash just because he kvetched that crime-fighting didn't pay and he was hurting for cash... in Keystone of all places, people should be sympathetic upon hearing that........... and then in a brilliant bit of writing, Peyer has Wally noting that "Those aren't real human reactions". Right there, that one line saves the whole story arc.

Suicide Squad #8 - Back in February I complained on a message board that a sudden bit of Bush Derangement Syndrome had intruded into what was one of my favorite books of the year. A company called Haake-Bruton, led by a guy looking like and with a similar name to Cheney, suddenly shows up, and we're treated to the sight of a bunch of overweight old white men swilling wine in goblets and smoking cigars, talking about all the money they're going to make as they watch some virus-infected brown-skinned people expiring inside glass tubes. I think the only thing I can say about it is that it's so over-the-top that it's not worth the outrage. However, now that I've read the ending, I have to say that the descent into caricature and some fantasy political catharsis for the writer and his fellow travelers (they get some wish-fulfillment as Deadshot puts a bullet through pseudo-Cheney's brainpan) really tainted what was a dream project. The Suicide Squad is one of my all-time-favorite comic books, and it's Ostrander who drove it. Ever since he lost control of Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller has been completely out of character in a half dozen other books. Half the writers who use her seem to think she's a villain or a traitor to the USA. The character bits in this book have been a joy to read...reminiscent of the old "Personnel Files" stories... but John Ostrander's more overt politicizing of the book have not helped the story. Hey, I've read The Authority, V for Vendetta and other books that are far more political and/or challenging to my personal ideals, but it's done as part of a coherent plot. Here, the pseudo-Halliburton is just a big straw man. The virus they're planning to sell is never mentioned again, because it was never more than a big puppy-killing scene to get you hating the villains so that you can enjoy their thrashing in the end. I know Ostrander is a better writer than this. Here's hoping he gets a new ongoing Suicide Squad and with this bit of bitching out of his system he can focus on a stronger story.

(You know, back when I wrote a Suicide Squad fan-fic at the height of the whole impeachment debacle, I made Al Gore the good guy even though I disliked him even back then, because it was a good story. Bring back the Ostrander who could write convincingly realistic presidents Reagan and Bush 41 even if he wasn't on their political side.)

Finally... Countdown #2. Hey, Darkseid is dripping with arrogance and superiority as he threatens somebody. Haven't seen that before. And I'll bet $100 that he'll be back to do it again someday soon, no matter what happened in this issue. I'm so bored. I did have to wonder...if Jimmy Olsen grows to the size of a skyscraper, and The Atom is inside him when he enlarges, does the Atom enlarge?