Quick Reviews

Flash #1, Brightest Day #0

With the recent resurrection of the Barry Allen Flash several other prominent characters, DC has created a new status quo in its books that hasn't existed since the mid-80s. Many characters that went through dramatic changes in appearance and attitude now resemble their pre-Crisis incarnations.

For this old DC fanboy, this looks like a good thing even if younger readers may not appreciate the nostalgia of the new crop of "Brightest Day" books. So far, the stories appear to be a promising refinement of the ensemble story arcs used in books such as "52" and "Countdown".

Doc Savage #1

I really wish I could be more excited about the return of this classic pulp hero, but so far the main feature starring the Man of Bronze and his "aides" fails to capture my interest.

However, the "Justice, Inc." backup feature does appear to be worth following. It has some great artwork by Scott Hampton and features another old pulp hero in a modern noir environment.

Irredeemable Special #1

Mark Waid uses this anthology issue to provide some backstory to his saga about a superhero gone bad. Highlights include an interesting take on the Batman as a family man and some excellent artwork form the prolific Howard Chaykin.

S.H.I.E.L.D.#1

This new series written by Jonathan Hickman provides an alternative take on Marvel's secret spy organization with twists that resemble the steampunk adventures found in Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

With works such as the Nightly News and his recent run on Fantastic Four, Hickman has shown that he is one of the most promising new talents to emerge in recent years and is destined for great things. It's too soon to tell, but the new S.H.I.E.L.D. may be one of them.

Black Widow #1

With her upcoming movie debut in Iron Man 2, Marvel has seen fit to give their favorite Russian super-spy her own series by Marjorie Liu and Daniel Acuna.

The inaugural issue sets up a nice mystery and does justice to one of the more interesting super-heroines. My hope is that they maintain a subtle touch when using integrating elements of the Marvel Universe into the book. An added bonus in the supplemental material explaining the Widow's complex history.