Detective Comics #11

Writer: Tony Daniel

Artists: Julio Ferreira & Eduardo Pansica

Tony Daniel takes a shot at collider physics in "Radioactive!" Putting a modern spin to the Batman stories from the late 50s, Daniel immerses the caped crusader in a scientific intrigue that pits him against Mr. Toxic while trying to solve the mystery behind Hugh Marder. I don't have a problem with a campy story, actually I like it; the problem here is that instead of running with it, the plot puts too much effort in trying to make it feasible, which defeats the purpose and just overcomplicates things. You can't pour protons into positrons using a pipette. The artwork by Ferreira and Pansica toggles in style between that of Daniel himself and Greg Capullo's; both of which are perfectly fine, but doesn't offer consistency. This arc will be able to introduce a couple of quirky -in a good way- villains to Batman's life with potential for permanency as long as the motivations driving them are properly fleshed out before the conclusion.

Batwing #11

Writer: Judd Winick

Artist: Marcus To

Last time, Batwing and Nightwing were in Beijing tracking the whereabouts of a nuclear scientist, when they came across a group of mercenaries and Long, the dragon. The premise sounded good enough, but for some reason the fight against Long is cut short before it even has time to start. The focus then turns to Matu Ba, who, for all purposes is Batwing's Alfred. Matu travels to Tundi, where he discovers dirty secrets of the secretive nation. Without a doubt, the charm of the issue lies in Marcus To's artwork; it is clean, crisp, and unpretentious, with lots of dynamic and splashy panels, and the magic touch of Brian Reber's colors. The titular character gets a bit lost in the story between Nightwing and Batman's guest appearances and the disruptive subplot involving Matu Ba. Next issue will not improve things as the JLI joins the conflict; however, if it helps bring attention to Batwing, it is a compromise worth reaching.

Avengers vs X-Men #7

Writers: Aaron, Bendis, Brubaker, Fraction, Hickman

Artist: Olivier Coipel

The Avengers are on the run and the X-Men have become the hunters. Now, this is more how AvX should have been written from the start. With very little of the random fisticuffing, chapter 7 is an extremely focused issue that brings the Scarlet Witch to the forefront of the battle as a force to be reckoned with, and even better, as the object of the Phoenix Five's fears.

     
Covers by Cheung, Ribic, and Pichelli

Coipel's work is impeccable; I loved his renditions of Piotr Rasputin and Tony Stark -who gets bitch-slapped by Black Panther in one of the best moments of 2012. Nightwing's Cyclops' takeover of the world hits another bump in the road as two more in his merry little band crack under the pressure and prove the Avengers right. Someone at Marvel really doesn't like Hawkeye, otherwise they wouldn't be so mean to him, which brings me to the not so positive aspect of the book: there is too much of Disassembled, Civil War, and House of M in it.

The openhanded slap of the year by Olivier Coipel

Earth-Two #3

Writer: James Robinson

Artist: Nicola Scott

The paving of the road to the new Age of Wonders continues with the birth of The Green Lantern and the debut of Hawkgirl. Although including classic elements like the green flame, this new origin for the Jade Knight also connects Alan Scott to another popular character from the main Earth in order to cement his magical -or at least not science based- nature. A very emotional sequence that leads to many questions and future plot devices. Nicola Scott draws one of the most beautiful Hawkgirls I have ever seen; Flash was right in thinking she's an angel. The winged wonder of this parallel dimension has a specific role in these initial chapters: a recruiter of sorts, and apparently under the guidance of another fan favorite. Confident, skilled, and with a flawless character design, this new Kendra has staying power. The issue closes with the reveal of a major villain; a choice that makes sense, but that will have people talking.

The Green Lantern by Nicola Scott

The Green Lantern

After a railroad accident, engineer Alan Scott is instructed by a magical lantern -built from a mystical green meteor- to make a ring from its metal, thus becoming Green Lantern. With the help of his power ring, Alan could fly and project energy beams; although he would usually confront his enemies with his fists, he eventually started forming constructs which is the most commonly known ability of any Green Lantern.

     

Art by CarloPagulayan and Alex Ross

Green Lantern Alan Scott was created by artist Martin Nodell after being inspired by Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelungen, and a green railway lantern. He made his debut in All-American Comics #16 in July 1940 and immediately became a success.

     

Art by Thuddleston and DeclanShalvey

Later in 1940, Green Lantern received his own title, and became a member of the Justice Society of America where he also appeared on a regular basis. Like many heroes would do years later, Alan had sidekicks, the first one was Doiby Dickles -a taxi driver- and years later he would pair with Streak the Wonder Dog, who actually stole the spotlight from him. By 1949 super heroes were not as popular anymore, and Green Lantern was cancelled with issue #38. 1951's All-Star Comics #57 was his last appearance in the Golden Age of comics.

     

Art by Colossus484 and Statman71

The character returned in 1963 in the pages of The Flash #137; this time, Green Lantern and his compatriots of the Justice Society lived in a parallel dimension known as Earth-2, to keep them separate from the emerging Silver Age super heroes, which included Hal Jordan. After the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985, the parallel dimensions were merged into one, and Alan was now older since his prime had been during World War II. During this period, he temporarily became younger, ditched the ring, and adopted the name Sentinel; but in time, he was returned to his roots, and finally died in Justice Society of America #54 -the final issue of the series- saving his son, Obsidian.

     

Art by Joe Prado and Ivan Reis

The New 52 has brought back Earth-2, and along with it, new, modern versions of its characters. Alan Scott is a millionaire, head of the Gotham Broadcasting Company, and very much in love with a man named Samuel. The legend of The Green Lantern is about to start again, and this time, he will be the greatest hero of his world; the one who will herald a new Age of Wonders, and it all starts with a bullet train railroad accident.

Happy 4th of July

Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Batgirl by Jim Lee

Captain America by Mike Deodato Jr.

Firestorm #10

Writers: Ethan Van Sciver & Joe Harris

Artist: Yildiray Cinar

After two issues of heavy action in Paris, the journey for the Firestorms slows down as their adventures transition to a new phase. Jason and Firehawk, who last time merged into Wrath, have a somewhat confusing experience in the Quantum Field -which is to them what the Speed Force is to Flash; while Ronnie and Pozhar continue traveling to... well, not sure where they are going, but they are almost there. The most recent installments of the series have been pulling double duty: trying to untie plot knots from earlier issues, and expanding the cast, with more success in the latter than the former. The Firestorm of India is introduced as a cool and distinctive character; now all we need is to know her name; between the solicitation, the cover, and the story, she has received three. Ronnie continues evolving, and by the end of the book he looks pretty badass, while Jason keeps lagging behind all his namesakes.

Wolverine and the X-Men #12

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Chris Bachalo

She has controlled the power of the Phoenix, she's been a hound, Mother Askani, Marvel Girl, a Starjammer, a teacher, a Summers, and now she's kicking Avenger butt... reluctantly. Jason Aaron gives Rachel Grey her much deserved 15 minutes in the spotlight fighting the likes of Wolverine, Captain America, and Thor; but there is more to this story than the fancy battles and philosophical confrontations. Every time she believes she has avoided the horrible future she comes from, something comes up that gets her closer to it; this time, Cyclops is that something. Just like Rogue is snapping out of it in Legacy, Rachel is realizing that something is not quite right with her father; it's great to see her as the powerful woman she is. Developments for Angel, Beast, and Iceman round up a strong issue despite Bachalo's convoluted art. And just where exactly did Wolverine "pressure point" Kid Gladiator?

The Most Viewed in June 2012

And the most checked reviews in June by the followers of this blog were:

1. Batman #10

2. The Avengers vs. Ultron

3. Avengers vs. X-Men #5

4. Avengers vs. X-Men #6

5. VS. #3