Before diving into Flashpoint, I would recommend reading The Flash #12, also released this week. While this first issue does a good job of standing on its own merits, Geoff Johns’ The Flash has some big plot payoffs, and is an easy enough read even if you haven’t been following the series before this.

The seeming tagline for Flashpoint is ‘a world without Barry Allen… as The Flash’. Still, from what has been published so far, I’m not sure that the Scarlet Speedster’s existence is the key alteration upon which the final plot-turns will hinge. I’d warn of spoilers ahead, but the first issue of the mini-series-mega-crossover event reveals little that previews marketing material has not already announced a dozen times over.

Atlantis and Themyscira, or the kingdoms of Aquaman and Wonder Woman for us layman fans, have embarked on a campaign of world conquest. The heroes (and I use the term loosely) that remain consist of Citizen Cold, Shazam, Secret Seven, and a few other minor characters. With Cyborg attempting to organize a resistance, hopes hinge on Batman’s participation. This push to have Cyborg at the forefront of a major title bodes well for the future of this oft-underused great DC hero.

Some of the alternate reality ‘character twists’ were interesting, but alone, they did not amount to anything that hasn’t already been done a dozen times over. Instead, it was the last page reveal regarding Batman that had me actually interested in what else Johns has up his sleeve. Sadly, Johns is not the writer for all, with so many title tie-ins and character crossovers, but I have more faith in his ‘architectural plot-plans’ having finished this first issue.

Still, I am worn out with cross-title super events that promise to redefine “everything we know of…(insert here)”, but so rarely deliver. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in feeling this way. And looking ahead to DC’s Flashpoint line up, with miniseries tie-ins one after another, I’m already exhausted by a storyline that only started a few days ago. Which makes enjoying this first issue that much more frustrating. So, fan-beware: this is a fun, exciting new comic that probably involves committing to an awful lot of weekly books to be best enjoyed. Sadly, a lot of these titles won’t have any significance five years from now.

Green Lantern – both the character and the series – has reached phenomenal new heights of popularity under the guidance of superstar writer Geoff Johns. For me though, the comic has become a victim of its own success. The title seemed trapped in this never-ceasing loop of mega-events that required buying ever more series to stay involved. So, after Blackest Night, I dropped it from my reading list. Not because it was bad, but just too sprawling in its scope.

Fast forward to the latest issue, which is Part One of the War of the Green Lanterns (with this week’s Green Lantern Corps featuring Part Two), and I thought it was time to give the series another try. I’m glad that I did. Thouh I still have a few questions regarding what I missed, this issue had some pretty epic moments; moments that do not require me to be reading a dozen tie-in issues.

Krona, a renegade believed to be imprisoned Guardian of the Universe, has managed to capture all the entities that power the respective lanterns/light spectrums. All of this was pretty new to me, but the best way of explaining it is to use Parallax as an example. Remember how it once possessed Hal Jordan? Well, by the end of Green Lantern Corps #58 (SPOILERS), Krona has affected a similar transformation upon the Guardians themselves. And this is just the beginning of Johns’ latest storyline, which to me, is far more interesting and exciting than the Blackest Night event.

Doug Mahkne and Tyler Kirkham pencil Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps respectively, with Tony Bedard writing the latter title. While the two books essentially fold together to tell one larger story (with the addition of the Green Lantern: Emerald Knights title), there aren’t any other tie-ins or crossovers. Which makes this storyline that much more appealing to me. I, like a lot of fans, am suffering from “event fatigue”; a grand plotline doesn’t necessarily require dozens of titles carry the event logo to make it epic. Instead, a tightly woven, detail rich plot, that offers exciting changes to the status quo can actually outshine another mega-event – both in terms of quality and issues sold!

DC Comics’ dynamic cover campaign strikes again! I picked up this month’s issue of The Flash based entirely on the phenomenal cover by local artist Francis Manapul. I’m not entirely sure why I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the issue, but it is a great read. This really shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me, given the creative team involved. Geoff Johns is one of my favourite writers, I have enjoyed nearly everything he has done, with one exception – Blackest Night. This was a big reason that I didn’t give The Flash #1 more than a quick flip through when it was first released. I knew I should be reading the comic, but I was trying to avoid anything related to Brightest Day, and its banner above The Flash logo soured its debut for me. That and the insanely long delays that plagued The Flash: Rebirth mini-series had caused me to lose interest in these characters.

The Flash #9 is the perfect return read for errant fans like myself. A new arc – Flashpoint – is starting, and though I was a little mystified by references to previous issues, the story drew me in quickly. Barry Allen thinks that there is something wrong with his timeline, but before he has a chance to decide what to do, a new character – Hot Pursuit – arrives on the scene. Looking like the love child of Ghost Rider and Flash, this motorcycle speedster is teased as being responsible for the death of The Elongated Kid. The last page reveal though, throws this into doubt.

Francis Manapul’s art is absolutely stunning, and Geoff Johns’ writing is sharp and fast paced. I am kicking myself for not having been on board since the first issue, and I can only hope that this creative team sticks together for many more issues to come.

Parker: The Outift

The best book of the year is also a proper sized book: Darwyn Cooke’s fantastic interpretation of the classic Richard Stark pulp novels. Color choice, pacing, character design, this is a book you can share with your Dad and he will not put it down. Artists and storytellers, class is in session. The Outfit is absolute required reading. - Jeff Brown

Blackest Night

DC Comics’ epic Green Lantern-centric zombie superhero event. A quick listen to almost any of our podcasts will let you know why Blackest Night is worth checking out. - Jeff Brown

The Walking Dead

An excellent television show, but a much better book. Mostly due to the pacing the series takes, it’s not shy to have an entire issue devoted to dialogue and character development, then hit you hard the next month with cover to cover zombie action. It features a ton of holy shit moments and is well worth your cash and time. - Jeff Brown

Mice Templar Volume 2

Bryan J. Glass delievers a riveting tale of mice and the constant war that has ravaged the woods. Stunning art by Victor Santos, and tons of quality pin up art, variant covers, notes and more. Mice Templar is a series everyone should own. – Jeff Brown

Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour

It was a big year for Toronto’s Mr. Pilgrim, and Bryan Lee O’Malley ended it where it all began – in the pages of his original graphic novel. Finest Hour brought the entire series to a contemplative and hugely satisfying conclusion, bringing Scott and Ramona together in a way that felt earned while managing to surprise and bring new context to everything that came before. Plus, Scott in a Tanooki Suit! – Ian MacIntyre

Crossed

During the twelve months of 2010 that I read comics, I found many that deserve to be recognized. Unfortunately, I can only choose one. When I was debating over my choice, I decided to select this particular comic not only because was it exceptionally well-written and illustrated, but also because it scared the living shit out me and gave me nightmares. I am speaking of the graphic novel ‘Crossed’ written by David Lapham (creator of ‘Stray Bullets’) and illustrated by Gianluca Pagliarani.

If you haven’t read this book, I encourage you to seek it out…provided of course that you are over the age of 18. The premise of the book is akin to the typical zombie-type infection with the difference that people infected do not become zombies; they lose all their inhibitions and become cannibalistic, sexually depraved rapists and murderers. The writing is strong and the accompanying artwork is fierce and difficult to appreciate at times, given the subject matter. If you don’t believe me, read it yourself. Just don’t blame me for the resulting nightmares. - Sarrah Young

Orc Stain

Fantasy comics are hard because fantasy can very easily be very terrible. It’s an insanely difficult balance between taste and style which almost always leads to self absorbed fairy realms or bullshit about dragons. Even Elf Quest, one of the most cherished comic book fantasy series of all time can only be appreciated in sort of a sideways fashion. That’s what makes James Stokoe’s Orc Stain series so damn amazing. It’s been a good forever and a half since I can remember a new fantasy property executed with such grace and whimsical brutality. Orc Stain plays off an inclusive fantasy ideal, invoking images, creatures and themes even the most surface level fantasy fans (you’ve seen The Two Towers on DVD, good for you!) can connect with, but that same connection goes even deeper for stalwarts who’ve been siphoning this material for years. It’s a work of appreciation, but also with no fear of injecting a very personal style which separates itself from all contemporaries. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that Stokoe is an amazing artist. His attention to texture and detail never feels underdone, and a grasp of colouring, a sensitive pallet that invokes lush fogs of conflict (or kush, let’s be honest) giving the fun pop-loaded sensation you thought only Jaime Hewlett could satisfy. Orc Stain feels like the fond memories of Heavy Metal and 2000 AD comics, without recalling the reality of why you don’t bother with those comics anymore. - Zack Kotzer

Siege

Big cataclysmic events pretty much saved the big two earlier this decade. Having a bit of an actual identity crisis, DC released Identity Crisis, the praise of which gathered both critical and commercial attention. But the years to come tell a whole new tragedy. Both DC and Marvel are now addicted to cataclysmic events, each more cataclysmic than the last, and while they aim for dramatic escalation the only emotion they are amping up is apathy. Which is why Siege was kind of a surprise. While my feelings for Marvel’s event series have been mixed, I am fond of the in-betweens, and showing a world where the Green Goblin, Doctor Doom and The Hood have successfully beaten the heroes, and it turned out the secret ingredient was to stop trying to do so with death ray cannons. Norman Osborn ruled the Marvel U with a bureaucratic gauntlet, and it was an interesting interpretation of how one can ‘take over the world’, but a good story can’t last forever, and Siege was a fitting end. It was also a big ol’ fight. Not congested with side stories and delays, Siege was heroes beating villains with fists and ion cannons, and after years of civil conflicts and low blows to each other, having them duke it out old school felt like exactly what we had always wanted but were too afraid to ask. - Zack Kotzer

DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths

The past few years have had comic book fans go through blockbuster after blockbuster event that change things in their respective universes forever. Of course, if I were to detail the big comic book events of the past decade this piece would be about thirty pages long. I’ll forego that and allow you to peruse the various comic book wikis out there. Instead I shall review the pros and cons of the “event” format and offer some suggestions for the publishers and readers going forward.

Pro: Events are cash cows for the publishers. If the publishers do well then the readers do well… isn’t that how capitalism works? Plus they get to sell tie-in merchandise, action figures, clothing and what we’re all really after: jewelry. Am I right?

Con: Price. Publishers can charge more for event books, since they are pitched as “must read” comics.

Pro: Dream Teams. You get to see a popular writer/artist work together on a dream project.

Con: Nightmare Teams. If the event book features an artist or writer who you don’t like, then you’re out of luck. The even may also involve characters you have no interest in as a result. If you do not like the direction they are going with the title or the universe you may be stuck. Slogging through bad stories just for some kind of resolution is not fun.

Pro: Holy Shit Moments. Events are usually pretty traumatic in the scope of things.  This “holy shit moment” can be an incredibly powerful incident that can change the entire dynamic of the story and even the universe.

Con: Holy Shit moments falling flat. Big moments meant to have impact and gravitas end up being pointless or just plain offensive. For instance the Blob eating the Wasp in Marvel’s Ultimatum; Totally unnecessary. Shock for the sake of shock which can ruin a good story.

Marvel's Civil War

Pro: Events are usually self-contained. Normally events do not require a lot of  secondary books to complete the core story. Plus the event books will usually be quickly compiled into one trade that can be purchased as a whole.

Con: Big Events mean Big Delays. Something about these event books is not conducive to meeting release schedules. A slow-yet-talented writer or artist can hold up a big event book for weeks, months or even years. I’m looking at you Damon Lindelof and Leinil Francis Yu… *cough* Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk *cough*

Pro: Resolution. Years of bad character and story decisions are often fixed by these event books. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a perfect example: DC Comics used this one event to restart their entire universe essentially from scratch, dumping years of useless, confusing and convoluted backstory.

Con: Minutia and reliance on other titles. Conversely the event book may require you to have a previous knowledge of characters and events that took place in the universe years and sometimes decades ago. The event more often than not will rely on incredible amounts of back story or obscure references. Will started reading Flash: Rebirth and had no idea that Gorilla City, a hidden city of super-intelligent, telepathic gorillas existed. He found the idea of talking gorillas a little weird, but ended up just having to deal with it to enjoy the story. It may also require you to buy multiple titles just to know what is going on in the main title.

Maximum Clonage... Really? REALLY!?

For fans going foward: If you want to know what to expect from event books trust the regular series writers and watch the smaller books for foreshadowing and allusion to major upcoming events. Example: DC’s huge ongoing event Blackest Night was hinted at and arguably set in motion by a seemingly throwaway moment from another event, Green Lantern: Rebirth over 6 years ago. A subsequent event, The Sinestro Corps War then laid the groundwork for the current one.

At the end of the day no matter what company you go with, an event is a tentpole for that company. This doesn’t mean your favorite creators will be pigeon-holed writing side stories, these events affect the companies and their universes from top to bottom; everyone has a role to play.

For the publishers going foward: Events should be completely submitted to the editors before the event is submitted to the public. Any chance of letting the public  pick an event they’d like to see? Also, I like rings as much as the next guy but this is getting ridiculous!

If we learned anything from DC’s Batman: Knightfall, it’s that you should always wait until a multi-character book crossover is finished, then buy the collected trade. That way you’ll actually know what the hell is going on.

Good Luck. I hope these pros and cons will help you fend off future bouts event fatigue.

Blackest Night #2

Ok, so last issue I stood up and applauded after finishing the book, leaving me with incredibly high hopes for issue #2.  I wish nothing more than to have my mouth on the floor, eager to see what happens on the next page.  It’s still early in the series, so there’s still time to jump on board with this book. Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis are back at it and on time.  Heroes are dropping like flies, and long dead characters have risen from the grave! This is the book to read this summer.  Pick this book up.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #1

Alright, I know I always boast about the simplicity of Marvel’s Ultimate universe.  How you don’t have to worry about 60 plus years of back story and continuity; anyone can jump right in.  Well if you didn’t read any of the Ultimate universe books before, now is the perfect time for you to jump on.

This is a complete relaunch the Ultimate universe, following the events of Ultimatum some of the more known Marvel characters are dead.  New artists are coming on board, and the writers that started the original Ultimate universe are back as well.  This issue teams Brian Michael Bendis with David Lafuente (Runaways) tasked with art duties.  Bendis has yet to take to make a mistake with Spider-Man in the Ultimate universe, if any good can come out of <cite>Ultimatum</cite>, Bendis is the man to do it.

Ultimate Comics: Avengers #1

It goes without saying that Mark Millar wrote of the best Ultimates stories.  Now he’s back; and he brings with him the new-to-Marvel artist Carlos Pacheco (Justice Society of America, Superman/Batman). This has me really excited, as Millar has a chance to make some sense of the mess that was Ultimatum.  Pacheco’s art is fluid and classic, a perfect fit for this relaunch.  Where does this story start?  It’s said to involve Red Skull and a new Avengers team lineup.  This is the first issue, and I want to start off at the beginning.

That’s this weeks pull list.  Email me with your lists at jeff@dorkshelf.com.

Until next week, enjoy!

Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #3 (of 3)

This issue wraps up our introdcution to the big players in the Blackest Night event.  Again, this issue features various artist depicting the various Lanterns of the emotional spectrum. Pick it up to give you some background for Blackest Night, and to complete the panoramic cover when you lay the three issues next to eachother.

Fantastic Four #569

Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch return to make the world’s most unrelatable family a fun and exciting book you actually care to read.  Issue #569 is inching us ever closer to the end of their run on this book.  Tears will flow from my eyes when Millar and Hitch leave Fantastic Four

Justice League Of America #35

I won’t lie to you, this is strictly a collection title.  I’m getting this book for the sake of maintaining continuity in my collection.  I can’t wait for Mark Bagley to come on board JLA and see him draw some of DC’s big guns.

New Avengers #55 (Dark Reign)

Bendis is back with Stuart Immonen on art duty. All the revelations about the new Dr. Voodoo and the team starting a new story arc, makes this an excellent opportunity for new readers to jump into this series.  New Avengers is a book that has not let me down, and I’m happy to collect it.

Rapture #3 (of 6)

The Oeming/Soma duo return with one of the more dynamic books in my collection.  Thankfully this story keeps your eyes moving and your heart strings plucked at just the right moments.  You’re invested in the characters and it’s like you’re right there in the book.  If you dig this book, write to the letter to Dark Horse and let these guys know we need more stuff from Oeming and Soma.

Ultimatum #5 (of 5)

Finally, holy shit… it ends!  This horrible ending to what could have been an excellent story is upon us; and it’s mostly random nonsense.  With practically half the characters dead, Marvel’s Ultimate Universe as we know it is over.  This allows the new creative teams to pick up the scraps of this mess, and hopefully start anew.  The art has been pretty good, but this is certainly not one for the kids.  That’s right, no more Jeff Loeb in the Ultimate Universe after this.

Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #2 (of 3)

Tales of the Corps is a tie-in book that helps explain the dynamics of the different color spectrum Lantern Corps’.  Various writers and artists worked on this book, and while it’s not a requirement for the Blackest Night event as a whole, it does help you learn more about various characters in the Green Lantern universe.

Dark Wolverine #76 (Dark Reign)

So Wolverine’s son is running amok; in the last issue he picked a fight with Bullseye, now the repercussions of that fight have brought the Fantastic Four into the fold.  Proving that while Wolverine may not be the lead character in this book, they’re certainly keeping things interesting.

Green Lantern #44 (Blackest Night)

Hal Jordan and Barry Allen (The Flash) investigate the coming of the Blackest Night, with help from a long lost friend.  Blackest Night is a Green Lantern event that encompasses the whole DC universe.  Reading the Green Lantern series is a must for people following the events of Blackest Night.

Incredible Hulk #600

I want you to pick up this issue for one reason and one reason only.  This is a book where you see what a truly talented inker can do.  Dexter Vines usually inks Ed McGuinness’ work, the two are icons of the industry and really show off what a creative duo can do.  Dexter has been working with Steve McNiven on Old Man Logan and I’m assuming he was unable to meet the deadline for The Hulk as a result.  So they brought in another inker.  Judging from the six preview pages I’ve seen, Vines’ absence really hurts this book.  Again pick it up to keep as an example of what a talented inker does for their artist.

Power Girl #3

Justin Grey and Jimmy Palmiotti are back and bringing their talents to Power Girl.  This book is fun and dynamic and drawn by the insanely talented Amanda Conner.  I encourage you to pick this up and share it with your friends kids and girlfriends or boyfriends, everyone can enjoy Power Girl’s ridiculous cleavage.

Mouse Guard Vol. 2 – Winter 1152

Back to books for everyone, David Peterson’s brings his epic tale of mice to shelves in this second hardcover volume.  The art is absolutely stunning and the book is new reader friendly.  My wife is looking forward to this book more then I am.  I enjoy picking up a book we can both enjoy. This does however mean I do have to buy two copies, your welcome Mr. Peterson

New Avengers Prem HC Power Vol. 10

With all the books I have bought with the name Bendis on them, I am certain I’ve put at least one of his kids through college.  I love when he writes dynamic team books and I also enjoy the format of a hardcover book.  This means the book can travel, plus you can display the dust jacket as art!  Marvel knows how to get these books out on time and looking fantastic.

As a collector the last few weeks have been insane, I’ve been overwhelmed with titles recently.  Now you die hard fans are scoffing at my plight, but to be honest, having to read this many books is an overload for my brain, not to mention the financial impact this repeated pull list overload has had.  That’s why weeks such as this are a thankful reprieve.

This week brings me just one book; one amazing book to cap off the DC Comics event The Blackest Night.

The most incredible thing Geoff Johns does is makes you care about a character whom you had little or no concern for in the past.  Who the hell is William Hand? The character who at first appeared to be a joke at first; something to scoff at, is now a force to be reckoned with. Blackest Night is a true gateway event, this is a great jumping on point for those who have up until now not been too keen on the DC Universe.  I got our very own Will enthused about Green Lantern with another Geoff Johns title, Green Lantern: Rebirth, and up until that point he had made fun of Green Lantern to no end.  Now who posts all the Green Lantern stories on the site?  Will.  If Johns can make a fan out of Will, he can do it for you too.

Green Lantern #43 is wonderfully shocking.  It reminds me that books in the DC Universe can still deliver awesome single issue stories.  In these tough economic times we are all trying to pinch pennies, but I almost would have traded my entire run of Venture Bros. on DVD for this book;  It’s that frakking good.

Why should you tell your friends to try this book?  Green Lantern fans, you already know this is going to be great.  DC has been building toward this story for a long time, it’s a company wide crossover event; It’s going to affect the entire DC Universe.  Plus the art is great, and the writing is spectacular.  For those new to the DC Universe, pick up Green Lantern #43, and next week pick up Blackest Night #1.  You won’t be disappointed, and you’ll understand why so many people have been raving about what DC has been doing lately.

GREEN LANTERN #43 (BLACKEST NIGHT)