Reviews-1/7/08

Detective Comics #840
Writer: Paul Dini
Penciler: Dustin Nguyen
Grade: C

The epilogue to the recent Batman crossover Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul has Batman and Ra's colliding so soon after the finale of said crossover. Ra's plans on moving into Gotham and making Batmans life even more miserable.

Writer Paul Dini is joined by new penciler Dustin Nguyen for his run of mostly single issue stories. So how was it? Eh. The first half of the story made me shake my head asking "why so we need this issue?" and the last half had an interesting twist that answered my question. Now, I didn't hate the crossover at all, I thought it was good at times but wasn't wowed by it like Sinestro Corps. War. My problem isn't really the crossover it's just I haven't been happy with 'Tec for a while. Between all the fill-ins I can't remember the last issue I really liked. Now with Don Kramer gone I feel it's time to jump ship. Nguyen's a good artist but his work here doesn't strike me as nice a fit as Kramer.

Detective Comics had some gems in the run but as the months go by my interest has wained quite a bit and best to just drop it instead of feeling like a chore buying the book.

edited: Dustin Nguyen and not Eric Nguyen

The Order #1-6
Writer: Matt Fraction
Penciler: Baryy Kitson; Khari Evans on #5
Grade B-

The Order is an LA based super-team funded by Tony "Ironman" Stark. Made up of individuals who under go testing and training to even register as possible candidates to become part of the team. The group is led by a one-time actor and recovering alcoholoic named Henry Hellrung, whose one of the three celebrities on the current team(they went through a couple members fast), and Pepper Potts from the older Ironman series.

The job requires certain ethics and rules so if a hero fails to live up to them they'll be replaced. Also, being based in LA with celebs on the team, the Order has a press agent who deals with the public and handling any sort of scandal. Plus the team fights super villains and shady government organizations.

Sounds like a winner and for most fans it is but for some reason-I'm not as taken by it. I can't find a single flaw with this book. It looks great, the characters are fleshed out, and it was a good read. But I didn't finish thinking to myself "wow, the critics were right. That was awesome."

This is probably just my bizarre taste in stories. For one, I didn't exactly fall in love with any characters. Or like them that much. There's a few that I see myself in the future possibly falling in love with but right now I'm not really concerned if anyone lives or dies. Give me a great book with characters I don't like and I won't care but an average book with characters I love and moments I enjoy and I'll reread that title. Also, LA guy here, I get enough celebrity news/scandal. Anyone from LA who says they don't follow any of that is lying as far as I'm concerned so I admit I know what's happening. But there's the thing, when I step into superhero comics, I want leave that reality. A little of it is fine but this book makes that side a very integral part of the series. It gives it its uniqueness but doesn't really interest me.

Plus I think I'm getting a bit bored of superhero comics. That doesn't help.

Still, I can't find nothing bad to say about the Order. It does what it does well and it's got enough of an identity to stand above the legions of other hero books. I'm just not sure if it's the book i want to read right now.