Broken Frontier

Action Comics #850

As Braniac tries to return Supergirl to the 21st Century, the Maid of Steel and her team mates in the Legion of Super-Heroes view Superman’s past present and future leading to revelations, teasers and hints of things to come.

For those readers avidly following the Countdown to DC’s next major event this extra-sized anniversary issue of Action Comics could prove to be a key issue to several of the dangling Multiverse-related plot threads. There’s more on the mystery of the duplicate Legions, a host of alternate timelines that look surprisingly like the allegedly wiped out Hypertime and a look into Superman’s future that may well be followed up elsewhere. As anniversary specials go it ticks all the right boxes, recapping Superman’s origin and history (which is much needed given how confusing his continuity feels post-Infinite Crisis) and bringing in cameos from most of his major supporting cast members, allies and bad guys.

A very readable celebration of the Superman mythos that underlines the importance of family to this most iconic of super-heroes. Countdown fans should miss this one at their peril.

- Andy Oliver

Battlestar Galactica: Cylon Apocalypse #4

The Colonial fighters have succeeded in infecting the Cylon world with the fatal virus but one of their own has been shot down in the process. As the Galactica is forced to continue its flight Starbuck is stranded on the planet’s surface, surrounded by dying, angry Cylons!

Writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach is well known for his comedy series The Middleman but with this classic Battlestar Galactica mini-series he turns in a full-blown space opera filled with adventure and consideration of the costs of war. These surviving humans have been pushed to a point of doing something distasteful in order to insure their own survival. On the other side of the coin, the Cylons are dying in a way they find distasteful and so they make their own fateful decision. Caught in between is a single human life and an example of what separates man from these machines.

If you have fond memories of the old, original Battlestar Galactica TV series from the late 1970’s then this mini-series is a sure pick-up for you. Battlestar Galactica: Cylon Apocalypse is a fitting heir to the original series as well as an excellent sci-fi story in its own right.

- Tonya Crawford

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #4

We learn that Willow’s magical abilities know no bounds as she deals with Warren Mears, the man she flayed. Meanwhile, Buffy learns of Amy’s connection with the United States government and gets a particularly nasty message.

Some fans have complained that the whole Buffy mythos has moved away from its roots of the three teenage friends fighting demons and vampires. I say, the taller the tree gets the farther from the roots its leaves are. As we grow and change (for good and bad) our relationships change. Josh Whedon excels at showing this, and those fans who complain about the characters’ developments/choices miss the point entirely. Whedon is showing real people grow in unreal situations and he is doing it divinely. With Georges Jeanty providing the art, this comic is like watching one of the best episodes of the show.

The first episode of Season 8 ends here. Don’t miss it, fascinating secrets are revealed, characters grow, and the groundwork for some potent stories is firmly laid.

- Aaron Stueve

JSA Classified #26

Wildcat discovers the villain Sportsmaster has an addiction to gambling. Not just any gambling, though... wagers on the outcomes of superhero/supervillain brawls. Wildcat takes a dim view of all this for very personal reasons and is determined to put a stop to it all and get Sportsmaster out of the game as well. But has the JSA bruiser only made things worse?

Wildcat is the consummate tough guy but he is not without his own brand of kindness and contemplation. It is these elements that writer Frank Tieri chooses to highlight in this story. While Tieri does a good job at juxtaposing past and present, as well as writing some great fight scenes the story relies a little too heavily on Wildcat’s interior monologue. Penciler Matt Haley does a nearly flawless job here as well. He does not skimp on Ted Grant’s boxing scars and he has some terrific panel layouts. The one complaint is that his rendition of the Sportsmaster looks perhaps a little too young.

If you are a fan of Wildcat then this JSA Classified arc is for you. While there may not be much new ground broken with the character it is still an interesting adventure with the DC Universe’s best brawlers.

- Tonya Crawford

Jughead’s Double Digest #131

Another bumper digest-sized collection of stories about Archie’s incorrigible pal Jughead. This issue includes Jughead entering a contest to find Riverdale’s laziest teenager, aliens landing and observing the gang, Hot Dog making friends with an escaped panda and Sabrina dropping by to create a magical double of our loafer hero.

I would have said at this point that with an Archie comic you always know pretty much what to expect but recent storytelling experiments with Betty and Veronica may have put the lie to that statement! This anthology of Jughead-related tales, though, is in the traditional Archie vein. The highlight is a Marvel Comics/Wizard of Oz parody that sees some of our favorites transformed into versions of popular super-heroes. Archie as Spider-Man is entertaining but Jughead as Wolverine was a real hoot! The usual puzzle pages and features round out the proceedings.

An affordable and portable format makes this the perfect package for the younger reader while older fans wanting to work off a bit of excess cynicism may find that half an hour spent in the good-natured world of Riverdale is time well spent. Harmless fun.

- Andy Oliver

Left on Mission #2

Formerly retired agent Eric Westfall has finally found the object of his mission... rogue agent Emma. More precisely, Emma has found him. As Eric tries desperately to turn her back she reveals the real truth of his mission. Eric also discovers that all the mental and emotional wounds of being an agent never scarred over in Emma... she’s still bleeding. Will Eric help her seal her wounds or will she succeed in ripping the scars off his own?

Writer Chip Mosher’s haunting spy story continues in a gripping fashion with this issue. As the two main characters deal with their past, the present and the potential future the sequence becomes an intricate dance of words, emotions, and body language that is complex and hypnotic. Francesco Francavilla continues his amazingly detailed and moody pencil work and the colors and shadings by Martin Thomas are equally amazing as Francavilla and Thomas work together to make scenes fade, melt, and disappear in beautiful ways that enhance the story.

While a bit light on action this issue Left on Mission is still a stunning story that twists and turns but never loses sight of the humanity of its characters.

- Tonya Crawford

Lone Ranger #6

The opening mini-series comes to a close as the young Lone Ranger must race to save his friend Tonto from Black Bart – the man who slaughtered the Rangers. This is the moment that will decide the kind of man... the kind of hero the Lone Ranger will be.

Writer Brett Matthews has done a stunning job of retelling the legend of the Lone Ranger for a new, modern audience. While he might dip a little too heavily to some Zen thinking as this story wraps up there is no denying the thrills and excitement he has also injected into the story. Most significantly, the character of Tonto has now officially transformed from slightly embarrassing stereotype sidekick into mentor and friend. Matthews has created a complex relationship between these two men with much that each can learn from the other. Sergio Cariello also continues his own stellar work here, with amazing facial work, terrifically smooth action sequences, and perfect landscapes.

This is one western comic that lives up to the best of the traditions of the past while infusing them with some complimentary modern touches. There is no need to ask, “Who is that masked man” – because Brett Matthews and Sergio Cariello have answered it all with The Lone Ranger.

- Tonya Crawford

Spider-Man Family #3

A 104-page giant issue of Spider-Man stories past and present. Spider-Man Family #3 centers on the Fantastic Four with an all-new team-up between Marvel’s first family and the wall-crawler preceding a classic reprint from the 1970s.

Honing in on the positive, this is another value for money monster-sized collection of Spider-Man action. Paul Tobin’s Spidey/FF confrontation is light-hearted fun, exploiting that old cliché of super-hero misunderstandings and subsequent battles to its fullest potential. The ever-reliable Fred Van Lente pits the new Scorpion against her predecessor as Mac Gargan, now Venom, comes looking for the hero using his old codename. This month’s reprint is the original What If…? #1 asking the question “What if… Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four?”. Finishing up, there’s another Manga adventure of Japan’s Spider-Man J.

On a more negative note though, the reprinted Green Goblin five-parter from Amazing Spider-Man #s 176-180 has been dropped without explanation after just two parts. That’s simply not fair on the readers who may have been following this arc for the first time and can only adversely affect sales in the long run. You can’t build up a monthly readership if you’re going to arbitrarily stop stories on cliffhangers whenever you feel like it. Disappointing.

- Andy Oliver