Aquaman - Super Powered Fiction

I have to say that I never thought I would ever see the day when Aquaman reached 100k sales again, but the character has done just that in the New 52. Quite the impressive feat.

His new book was all right in my mind, but nothing great. The new villains seem overly similar to Fathom’s Black as well, but that could change in later issues. Much like any other Geoff Johns book, I doubt I will be buying it in single issue form. This really seems like a trade waiter.

Hawkman is so kewl! Honestly, his first issue was pretty decent and easily the best work of Philip Tan’s career.

Want more thoughts on these three titles? Check out my reviews at the Examiner.

Cosplay Friday: The Justice League

By Nick Ahlhelm | September 2, 2011 - 4:33 pm | Comics, Coolness

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Last month was Marvel Month as I’m sure all our readers know. This month we will go in the opposite direction and focus on a different DC character or characters that have debuted in a new #1 for that week! Of course, this week there is only one new #1 and that is…

...the Justice League!

Five of the seven main players of the new relaunch (Aquaman and Cyborg are absent) are featured in this image from the Superhero Costuming Forum, posted by user Lexani (seen here as the Flash)!

In case you have hidden under a rock since you were born, here is some info on the League, via Wikipedia:

The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics.

First appearing in The Brave and the Bold #28 (February/March 1960), the League originally appeared with a line-up that included Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Aquaman, and the Martian Manhunter. However, the team roster has been rotated throughout the years with characters such as Green Arrow, Atom, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Black Canary, Captain Marvel, Plastic Man, Red Tornado, other Green Lanterns, and dozens of others. The team received its own comic book title in October 1960, when the first issue was published, and would continue to #261 in April 1987, which was the final issue. Throughout the years, various incarnations or subsections of the team have operated as Justice League America, Justice League Europe, Justice League International, Justice League Task Force, Justice League Elite, and Extreme Justice.

Various comic book series featuring the League have remained generally popular with fans since inception and in most incarnations, its roster includes DC’s most popular characters. The League concept has also been adapted into various other entertainment media, including the classic Saturday morning Super Friends animated series (1973–1986), an unproduced Justice League of America live-action series, and most recently the animated series Justice League (2001–2004) and Justice League Unlimited (2004–2006). A live-action film was in the works in 2008 before being shelved.

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Super-Powered Comics – Superman: Panic in the Sky

By Nick Ahlhelm | February 28, 2011 - 7:00 am | Comics

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Maybe I am in the minority for thinking this, but the world needs more comics like Superman: Panic in the Sky.

This six part story arc from late 1991 and early 1992 came only months before Superman’s much ballyhooed death storyline and by most of the same creators. It focuses on the return of War World, Mongul’s evil battle world from the Superman in space stories from a few years previous. Now the planet is ruled by Braniac who uses it to amplify his own psychic powers. He has an army of alien soldiers at his disposal as well as his allies Maxima, Draaga, and a mind-controlled Matrix/Supergirl.

With War World on its way to Earth, Superman gathers a group of heroes together to battle against the coming threat. DC mainstays like Wonder Woman, Batman, Captain Marvel and Aquaman join forces with Titans, Metal Men, New Gods, and a few former members of the Giffen-era Justice League to take on the threat. For the first time in the post-Crisis DC Universe, Superman shows his leadership abilities, aided and abetted by his chosen second-in-command… Deathstroke.

Most importantly, the fight between Brainiac’s forces and Earth’s heroes comes off as a heck of a lot of fun.

The cover that drew me in.

I was twelve when these issues originally hit stands and they were my second Superman story arc to purchase, right after the Supergirl Saga of a couple years before. The return of Supergirl on the cover to the prologue chapter drew me in, and my young mind was fascinated by a bunch of characters I only knew from some Batman issues, a couple Who’s Who magazines, assorted Justice League comics, and a few random annuals from 1989.

I was most intrigued by Deathstroke, a character whose costume I loved but I only knew as a villain from a Secret Origins Annual. It served to make the young me want to learn more about these heroes, even while I learned about them over the course of the story.

I’ll be honest: the tale isn’t anything ground-breaking to the comics world. Instead it is a great team-up multipart story that doesn’t involve the purchase of more than four comics a month. And those comics were only a buck a pop.

Sadly, most modern comic readers would probably take a look at a huge chunk of the gathered heroes and villains and be really confused. This version of Superman and Braniac have pretty much been retconned out of existence, Deathstroke is suddenly a psycho killer, and about a third of the cast is dead.

Still it does nothing to take away from the enjoyment of this series for me personally. I think any long time comic fan could read it with the same level of enjoyment. This right here is just plain good superhero comics. Recommended.