Pretty Much All It Promises: The Justice Limited Edition Translucent Martian Manhunter Figure Delivers!

The Good: Great sculpt, Good articulation, Decent balance
The Bad: Did not maintain collectible value at all!
The Basics: The Justice Translucent Martian Manhunter action figure is a cool variant figure that might seem specific to Justice, but is a cool figure essential for Martian Manhunter fans!


Whenever I go on vacation these days, I try to find local comic book shops to find deals that represent good values I can’t find locally or online. Returning to my home state last year, I pawed through the beloved comic book shop of my youth and found many cool items. One, which I saw again weeks later in Minnesota at similarly depressed prices, was the Justice Translucent Martian Manhunter action figure. The variant of Martian Manhunter was a pretty clever idea from DC Direct, even if it was unpopular and has virtually no collectible value (these figures were originally released in the $16 - $20 range and I found it on clearance for $4 – and saw it on clearance for $5 in a second location!).

For those unfamiliar with Martian Manhunter in Justice (reviewed Hise!), he becomes integral to the plan to save the world by infiltrating the league of super-villains who have taken control. Martian Manhunter is depicted as invisible as he enters the mind of Gorilla Grodd and spies for the surviving heroes. Seen frequently disembodied in Justice, Martian Manhunter has the ability to disguise himself and to remove himself from the minds of others.

It is Translucent Martian Manhunter in his standard costume, with cape, cast in clear plastic, that is the subject of the Justice Translucent Martian Manhunter action figure.

Basics

The Translucent Martian Manhunter figure is very well-detailed and is a good sculpt. The artwork of Alex Ross translates nicely into the Translucent Martian Manhunter figure, though given that he is cast in monotonal clear plastic, the surface details are hard to pick up by the sculpt alone. The Translucent Martian Manhunter is muscular, ethereial-looking and bears both the Translucent Martian Manhunter costume and the distinct forehead ridge that makes this Martian Manhunter clearly J’onn J’onz. The humanoid Translucent Martian Manhunter stands 7 3/4" tall to the top of the figure's head. His skin is visible all over, save the briefs, belts (waist and across the chest) and cape. The Justice rendition of the Translucent Martian Manhunter is from DC Direct.

This toy is a decent sculpt; for a character that has only had two-dimensional references, Translucent Martian Manhunter looks good in all three dimensions. DC Direct made the character appropriately muscular, especially with his visible ribs and pectoral muscles. DC Direct cast the Translucent Martian Manhunter in hard plastic and he is solid, save the rubbery cape.

This Translucent Martian Manhunter figure has no coloring details at all. Martian Manhunter, in this incarnation, is entirely made of clear plastic and has no coloring accents at all, which makes sense for the character.

Accessories

Translucent Martian Manhunter, Hero of the DC Universe that he is, comes with only his stand. The stand is a black and silver square that looks like a piece of flooring. It is 6" by 4.5” and 1/2” tall and it has a pair of peg holes spaced 2” apart. The pegs come with the figure and plug into the base and then into the hole in Translucent Martian Manhunter’s right heel. Why there are two holes/pegs for a figure with only one foot hole I do not know. He is perfectly stable on his base.

Playability

The DC Direct figures were designed more for display than play. Even so, the Translucent Martian Manhunter holds up well on the playability front. The Translucent Martian Manhunter actually has decent balance on his own. He can stand flatfooted in most poses off his stand. On his stand with his foot plugged into the base, he is perfectly stable.

Translucent Martian Manhunter comes with eleven points of articulation, most of which are hinge joints. Translucent Martian Manhunter has joints at the knees, calves, groin socket, shoulders, elbows and head. The elbows and knees are both hinge joints, while the groin socket, calves and head are simple swivel joints. The shoulder of the Martian Manhunter figure are actual ball and socket joints, so they function ideally. This is not the most robustly articulated figure DC Direct has ever made, but on its stand, he still looks very good, though most of the joints are visible given that he is transparent!

Collectibility

The Translucent Martian Manhunter is part of the DC Direct Justice Series 5 line which was fairly uncommon, largely because it was mostly distributed through comic book shops. Translucent Martian Manhunter was one of three heroes in the wave and there were two Martian Manhunters in the set. This one is, by far, the less popular one and as a result, it has plummeted in value. It may be found easily and inexpensively now and is a tough sell except for the most die-hard collectors.

Overview

The Justice Translucent Martian Manhunter figure is pretty cool, even if one can see some of the joints because of its transparent nature and it has no real collectible value. At least it may be found inexpensively enough!
For other Justice action figures, please check out my reviews of:
Wave 1 Sinestro
Wave 5 Brainiac
Wave 1 Cheetah

8.5/10

For other toy reviews, please check out my Toy Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Wonder Woman: Spirit Of Truth Is A Mediocre Narrative With Stunning Artwork!

The Good: Great artwork, Good character study
The Bad: Virtually plotless, Repetitive
The Basics: It surprises me that it took so long to get around to reviewing Wonder Woman: Spirit Of Truth, which is a simple story that features the amazing artwork of Alex Ross.


Every now and then, I wake up to realize that something I have experienced remains unreviewed! It’s an increasingly rarer phenomenon for me, but it happens. In the realm of Wonder Woman graphic novels, one of the ones I read quite a while ago, but never got around to reviewing was Wonder Woman: Spirit Of Truth. This became especially clear to me when I picked up the book and began reading it and I continued to say to myself, “This seems awfully familiar.” I knew it was not only familiar from JLA: Secret Origins (reviewed here!).

Wonder Woman: Spirit Of Truth is not bad, but it is exceptionally simplistic. Unlike other works for which Alex Ross did the artwork, like Justice (reviewed here!) and Kingdom Come (reviewed her!), Wonder Woman: Spirit Of Truth is focused and fairly monotonal. It is, essentially, a character study of Diana, Princess Of Themyscira, after she is made Themysciran Ambassador To The United Nations.

Opening with a hostage situation wherein terrorists take civilian hostages, Wonder Woman easily rounds up the terrorists and saves human lives. She breaks up sweatshops, stops street crime and takes on super villains. But soon, her actions are misinterpreted as her imposing her will upon Man’s World. Retreating to Themyscira, Diana reports to her mother about her actions and tries to describe the motivations of those she encounters in the world outside Themyscira. Not fitting in there and feeling a mandate to return to Man’s World, Diana continues to stand up for people everywhere. Despite being misinterpreted, she stops a military tank from plowing over an innocent woman standing in its way in defiance. Wonder Woman’s crisis of faith continues when the woman she saves is terrified of her and she goes to Clark Kent for some advice. Continuing to do good works, Diana eventually makes a profound change in the way she tries to interact with the world, without losing her values.

There is no grand conspiracy in Wonder Woman: Spirit Of Truth, there is no exceptional narrative. Instead, Wonder Woman: Spirit Of Truth is a character study. The “episodes” in it are mostly one-panel vignettes that describe Diana’s exploits, as opposed to having complex stories with adversaries that are developed and motivated.

What is good about Wonder Woman: Spirit Of Truth, outside the predictably stellar artwork of Alex Ross, is the level of contemplation Diana experiences. Diana truly considers her role in the world and her exploring her self-doubt is an interesting take for the character. Paul Dini has a decent voice for the character. But the inability to combine such insights into a story that utilizes Wonder Woman’s abilities in a strong narrative is somewhat disappointing.

The result is a very average one-shot that has great artwork, but not enough substance to back up the buy.

5/10

For other Wonder Woman books, please check out my reviews of:
War By Brian Azarello
Odyssey By J. Michael Straczynski
Mission’s End By Greg Rucka

For other book reviews, please check out my Book Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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In Its End, Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 3 Barely Justifies The Sequel

The Good: Completes the story, Moments of character, Most of the artwork
The Bad: Villain is predictably treacherous, Low general character development, Not “big” enough for the supposed scope
The Basics: In trying to service the Justice Society Of America, Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 3 diverges too much from being a pure Kingdom Come sequel to recommend the journey.


There are, despite my love for the medium and my many reviews of them, remarkably few graphic novels that I have in my permanent library. I am, largely, okay with that; I would much rather get graphic novels out from my library, determine if they are actually worthwhile and then buy them as opposed to buy them on spec and end up disappointed. Unfortunately, while I was on vacation recently, I broke my steadfast rule when I found a bunch of hardcover graphic novels dirt cheap at the comic book shop near my hotel. While I was thrilled to finally find an affordable copy of Absolute Identity Crisis (reviewed here!) to add to my permanent library, I have found myself less impressed by the other purchase I made. I found, incredibly inexpensively, Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 2 (reviewed here!) and Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 3. Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 3 does what it has to, which is to resolve the story begun in Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 1 (reviewed here!), but the book does little more than that . . . except when it does things completely different.

Allow me to explain; Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 3 is put in the unenviable position of having to rectify a situation with a villain who has not yet revealed himself to be villainous at all and is part of a series that was ongoing at the time. Unlike Kingdom Come (reviewed here!), which this series is a sequel to, Thy Kingdom Come was not a special DC Comics event; it is a collection of comic books from the Justice Society Of America monthly book. Author Geoff Johns had to service the larger comic book series, so Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 3 included divergences like a trip to Earth-2, seeds of things to come with Starman and, of course, an otherwise pointless bit that features Black Adam resurrected and just kind of looking around Khandaq. The rest of Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 3 is stuck with resolving the events of the prior two volumes and unfortunately, in that way the book is remarkably formulaic.

Gog burst into existence in Volume 2 as an apparent benevolent god on Earth, walking around Africa healing people and the land and even resurrecting David Reid. The issue in Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 3 is that, of course, Gog has to leave Earth and given how everything the new deity has done seems monolithically benevolent, savvy readers of comic books have to figure what the most cynical characters in the book do; Gog is doing his good works with a catch. What the catch is turns Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 3 and, unfortunately, it is not enough to save the storyline or make it an indispensible read.

With Power Girl lost in Earth-2, hunted by all of her former friends who claim she is a doppelganger (whatwith them having their own Power Girl still there!), Sandman pleasantly asleep, and David Reid resurrected as Magog, the Justice Society Of America begins testing Magog. Reid seems stronger and more resilient than before, despite being blinded in one eye and having a new, mechanical arm. Reid returns to the Congo to rejoin Gog as he walks. Reid’s return begins a split in the Justice Society Of America that turns hero against hero and puts the alternate universe Superman instantly on edge. Fearing that heroes will come to blows over their devotion to Gog (or their resistance to following Gog without question), Superman begins to question if there is any way to stop “fate” and history from repeating itself.

Power Girl manages to make it back to our universe, only to have the Justice Society Infinity, from Earth-2, chase her and pull her back. With the help of the now-not-schizophrenic Starman, Power Girl is brought back to our universe. There, Superman wrestles with an attack on the Daily Planet that puts him face to face with Lois Lane and the rest of the Justice Society Of America splits over Magog. Things come to a head when Sandman finally wakes up and senses the price that Gog will exact from humanity for his benevolence. Ultimately, the heroes unite against Gog in their efforts to protect the Earth.

Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 3 is, unfortunately, predictable. The second act to the story built up a somewhat ridiculous “ultimate good” while only hinting that his benevolence could have a negative turn. Instead of being a being who people reject for how his gifts ruin their lives (Dr. Mid-Nite getting his sight back has negative consequences, like not being able to see into people’s bodies for their ailments), Gog exacts a payment that the Justice Society deems “too high.” It’s a pretty basic hero vs. villain story.

Unfortunately, because the book is packed with so many characters, the plot elements dominate the character ones. The book meanders until the plot catch for Gog is finally revealed; the characters barely motivate the book’s action. Instead, Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 3 is largely about putting otherwise inconsequential characters out of play – Gog, the Kingdom Come Superman, Magog. The result is a less-than-thrilling volume that does not captivate, it merely concludes.

The artwork in Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 3 is good, but erratic. A divergent story featuring Superman is done with Kingdom Come style artwork, despite taking place in “our” universe, which is irregular for the rest of this series. Still, all of the characters are recognizable and there is a decent sense of movement within the book.

But Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 3 does not save the storyline and it acts as a cautionary tale to those creating sequels; the utterly unnecessary follow-up to Kingdom Come does not create anywhere near as compelling a story as the original.

For other comic book sequels, please visit my reviews of:
Justice League Of America: The Lightning Saga
Final Crisis
Green Lantern: Rebirth

5/10

For other book reviews, please check out my Book Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Pre-Corps Sinestro: The Justice Sinestro Figure Stands Up!

The Good: Great sculpt, Generally good coloring, Good articulation, Great balance.
The Bad: Could use a bit more coloring detail for the skin and hair, Low collectible value
The Basics: The Justice Sinestro action figure is a simple, but well-made DC Comics villain toy!


Just over a month ago, my wife and I made a trip to Minnesota and right near our hotel was a pretty awesome comic book shop. There, I picked up some cool new-to-me toys. After all my years of being a fan of graphic novels and toys that are reminiscent of the best of those books and their heroes and villains. Given how the Blackest Night Sinestro has become virtually impossible to find, I was pretty excited to find the Justice Sinestro action figure dirt cheap at the comic book shop, I decided it was time for me to get a Sinestro in my collection. As a fan of Justice even in his classic outfit, Sinestro is a worthwhile figure and this one is a worthwhile figure overall.

For those unfamiliar with it, in Justice (reviewed here!), Sinestro finds Green Lantern early in the book and uses a Boom Tube to send Hal Jordan to the farthest reaches of the universe. After that, Sinestro joins Lex Luthor’s council of villains who are working to save Earth.

It is Sinestro in his classic black and blue outfit with his boom tube generator, that is the subject of the Justice Sinestro action figure.

Basics

The Sinestro figure is only fairly-detailed; Alex Ross made immaculate artwork in Justice, including such things as veins in the villains forehead. DC Direct does not capture that level of detail, though they did sculpt the furrowed brow of the villain and his thin mustaches! The determined villain stands 7 1/8" tall to the top of the figure's widow’s peak. His costume is black and blue and very clean.

This toy is an accurate sculpt at least for a character that has only had two-dimensional references, Sinestro looks good in all three dimensions. DC Direct sculpted Sinestro to have a severe nose and an angular face. His ears are molded to look pointy and somewhat devilish. The figure features molded details that include the lines on his forehead and veins on the back of his head! The costume Sinestro wears is very simple; the wrists and belt have the most detailing in the form of ribbing that breaks up the otherwise smooth suit he wears. Sinestro also wears boots with a fluted rim to them, almost like fairy boots! This version of Sinestro is molded so precisely that it includes his yellow ring and fingernails on each of his fingers!

The coloring for the Sinestro figure is very simple. His outfit and skin are cast in monotones, though the blues of the outfit are cast in a metallic sheen. Sinestro’s fingernails are immaculately painted on, but his yellow and red eyes seem much less well-defined. Sinestro’s hair is colored in solid black; it is only the ribbing in the sculpt that makes it clear that he is not wearing a helmet and this is his hair!

Accessories

Sinestro, cunning and willful villain that he is, comes with his stand and his boom tube generator wand. The stand is a black and silver square that looks like a piece of flooring. It is 6" by 4.5” and 1/2” tall and it has a pair of peg holes spaced 2” apart. The pegs come with the figure and plug into the base and then into the hole in Sinestro’s right foot. He is perfectly stable on his base.

Sinestro’s wand is a 1 3/8” plastic cylinder is metallic bronze and seems simple. It has a slight curve to it and has the wiggle pattern and button, along with the rings at the tip of the wand, which makes it look good. The Boom Tube wand fits nicely in Sinestro’s right hand and it generally fits the colorscheme of the rest of the action figure.

Playability

The DC Direct figures were designed more for display than play. Sinestro is actually ahead of the curve for the quality of figures at the time on the playability front. Sinestro has a decent amount of articulation. He also has amazing balance, even off his stand! On his stand with one foot plugged into the base, Sinestro is perfectly stable.

On the plus side, Sinestro has some great articulation, except at the waist. Sinestro comes with eleven points of articulation, some of which are actually ball and socket joints! Sinestro has joints at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, groin socket, knees and head. The elbows and knees are hinge joints and the head, wrists, and groin socket are on simple swivel joints.

Collectibility

Sinestro is part of the DC Direct Justice Series 1 line which was fairly uncommon, because it was mostly distributed through comic book shops. Sinestro was one of three villains in the line and he remains one of the easier ones hard to find, even now. As a result, I’ve found that it has actually depreciated in value. Originally available in the $15 - $20 range, I managed to find mine for only $5! That makes it a poor investment figure, but a good deal for fans!

Overview

Sinestro looks good, has great balance and generally good articulation, but the simplicity of the outfit and articulation make it a little harder to sell to those who have gotten into collecting DC Comics-based figures in the years since this figure was released.

For other action figures of Green Lantern villains, please check out my reviews of:
Blackest Night Nekron
Blackest Night Sinestro Corps Arkillo
Blackest Night Red Lantern Mera
Blackest Night Star Sapphire
Wave 3 Cyborg Superman

7/10

For other toy reviews, please check out my Toy Review Index Page!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Building Toward Repetition, Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 2 Is Still Good!

The Good: Generally good artwork, Interesting story progression, One or two moments of character
The Bad: Tries to service an immense cast . . . unsuccessfully.
The Basics: Pushing forward with the rise of Gog, Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 2 puts the Justice Society on the defensive and then in the confusing position of being in the presence of a being that seems to be a god!


On the wake of reading the book my wife gave me as a gift, Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 1 (reviewed here!), today I took the time to read its follow-up, Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 2. I picked up Volumes 2 and 3 while on our vacation at a comic book shop in Minnesota that had the hardcovers for just a couple of dollars, which was pretty awesome. I was drawn to the story, which I otherwise would not have been because these books tell a story which is supposed to be a sequel to Kingdom Come (reviewed here!). Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 2 finally starts to feel like a sequel to Kingdom Come and it does so somewhat at its own peril; key elements in the story run toward repeating the mistakes made by the heroes in Kingdom Come, as opposed to preventing them well.

That said, Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 2 is intriguing-enough that it has me hankering for the conclusion; not because I want the story to end, but I am eager to see the direction Geoff Johns and Alex Ross take the story in. Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 2 tells the story of how the villainous William Matthews draws the new, huge, Justice Society Of America into a battle which delivers to Earth its potential savior. The interplay between heroes and villains in Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 2 works pretty wonderfully and the writers weave a story that feels complex, even if it is moving toward feeling familiar . . . at least for those who have read Kingdom Come.

With Mr. America getting healed at the Justice Society Of America headquarters, the Justice Society gets its first clues about who has been going around slaying godlike beings on Earth. Mr. America tells the Justice Society he was attacked by Gog, a creature who causes the Superman visiting from an alternate Earth to raise an alarm that suggests an apocalypse is in the making. But the Justice Society assets quickly reveal that the warrior calling himself Gog is actually a psychopath named William Matthews, who took up the name Gog and attacked Superman a year prior. The Justice Society makes a game plan to track and defeat Gog when Gog appears in the Justice Society Of America headquarters, blasting through their ranks. In the ensuing battle, the powerful members of the Justice Society leave the headquarters in shambles and take the fight to Gog to the Congo.

In the ensuing fight, William Matthews returns to his power base and the lance he is using to fight off the Justice Society enters a massive head of what appears to be a statue. The statue, though, comes to life and destroys Matthews. The resulting entity is the true Gog, a godlike alien being from the Third World. As the Justice Society and the alternate Superman brace themselves for an impossible battle, Gog revitalizes the Earth around the Congo and saving the locals there. Claiming to be benevolent and being the protectors of the superheroes, Gog starts to restore the wounds the Justice Society members have suffered. Gog restores Dr. Mid-Nite’s sight, heals Damage’s brutalized face and sends Power Girl back to her native universe. But as Gog walks the Earth trying to heal people and eliminate war, his gifts seem to be a mixed blessing; Power Girl’s native universe treats her as an outsider and she falls prey to another Power Girl and Dr. Mid-Nite is unable to see inside the body of a wounded JSA member to save his life.

The problem for Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 2 is that the book is very much unresolved. There is no climax and the closest to a climactic event the book has is clearly a set-up for the next act. Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 2 is a plot-heavy book and it is tough to get into for those of us who do not give a damn about the Justice Society Of America. The cast is so bloated that it is no one person’s story and there is a troubling trend within the book to pepper-in aspects that have nothing to do with this particular story. The four-page digression featuring Black Adam stands out a pointless and is made even more confusing for anyone who might not have read Countdown To Final Crisis (volume 1 is reviewed here!).

Mixed in, Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 2 has only a few moments of decent character development. Power Girl is given a respectable chapter when she is returned to her native universe, a universe where The Huntress seems intent on making the same mistake that Magog did in Kingdom Come. Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 2 makes the assumption that readers know of the underlying relationship between Mr. Terrific and Dr. Mid-Nite for their key scenes. Volume 1’s character building for Citizen Steel is justified in Volume 2 when Nate is neglected by Gog’s healing abilities. Nate follows Gog desperate to get healed so he might feel again and that is a compelling motivation.

Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 2 has decent artwork. Smartly blending Kingdom Come-style paintings to embody that universe and a somewhat more simplistic artwork for Earth-2, where Power Girl is sent, the book has a strong visual sensibility to it. The colors are vivid and the characters are recognizable in every frame.

Ultimately, Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 2 is a strong middle act, but it is low on character development and the characters seem to be consciously aware of their need to police their own (superheroes), even as events conspire to create the elements that led to Kingdom Come. The result is that the book feels quite a bit like Geoff Johns and Alex Ross creating a “do over” for that whole storyline. It’s not bad, but it is simplistic and very plot-heavy instead of a story that is revealing of the human condition.

For other works by Geoff Johns, please check out my reviews of:
The Avengers: The Search For She-Hulk
Blackest Night
Teen Titans: Family Lost

6.5/10

For other graphic novel reviews, please check out my Graphic Novel Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Loping Into Sequel: Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 1

The Good: Moments of intriguing groundwork for the plot and characters, The artwork is good
The Bad: Aimless plot, No real character development, Bloated cast of characters, Nothing truly stellar in the artwork.
The Basics: Beginning the sequel to Kingdom Come, Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 1 barely gets around to establishing the premise before the book ends.


Like many, many people who are fans of the graphic novel medium, I argue in favor of the idea that Kingdom Come (reviewed here!) is one of the best graphic novels ever produced. In addition to absolutely beautiful artwork, it tells a decent story and is one that is worth returning to multiple times. So, when I learned there was a sequel to Kingdom Come being written, I was naturally excited. My excitement turned somewhat toward apathy when I saw the first volume of Thy Kingdom Come on the shelves a few years ago and discovered that it would not have the same artistic style as its predecessor. The reason for that became immediately clear when I began reading Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 1; it is set in the ordinary, mundane, universe of DC Comics post-Infinite Crisis (reviewed here!).  I was motivated to give the series a try, though, when I found the latter two volumes of Thy Kingdom Come dirt cheap on a recent vacation, my wife picked me up Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 1 as a birthday gift so I could start reading the sequels. I have discovered I have an affinity for second-string superheroes, but the way the Golden Age superheroes have been resurrected in the modern day as groups like the Justice Society Of America has, traditionally, left me cold. So, my interest in Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 1 was very much more for the story than the team the story was about. Unfortunately, Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 1 wanders into its principle story and as a reader, it is frustrating to go through the “filler” that starts the book before the volume truly begins. In other words, whatever Justice Society Of America volume preceded this one could have included the first two chapters from Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 1 and stuck the remaining four chapters in the next book. I suppose DC Comics made more money this way, though.

Following an attack by Captain Nazi, the Justice Society Of America is cleaning up the loose ends. Chief among them is Nate Heywood, who was wounded in the attack on his family. At the same time, though, he was infected by a metal that reinforced his entire body, replaced his blown-off leg, and gave him virtual invulnerability. An outing to help clean up the remnants of the Nazis operating in New York gives Nate the confidence to continue being a super hero, now under the name Citizen Steel. Jesse Quick’s story is then told as she explores the transition she made growing up as a speedster to become Liberty Belle as part of the new Justice Society Of America. Liberty Belle and her husband Hourman are drawn into a conflict with Zoom as he lures Damage back over the Georgia state line and holds the supervillain hostage.

Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 1 actually gets started with a chapter devoted to Power Girl. Kara Zor-L is the last survivor of an alternate universe Krypton living in our universe and still wrestling with the consequences of Infinite Crisis and the way her native universe’s Kal-L passed judgment on the heroes of our universe. So, when the Justice Society under her leadership goes to put out a fire, ostensibly begun by raw energy flowing out of the body of the murdered supervillain Goth, she is suddenly faced with a real conundrum. In putting out the fire, Starman creates a small, temporary, black hole and as he collapses it, a Superman from another universe comes through. Starman, in a lucid moment, declares that this Superman is from Earth-22 (as the Kingdom Come universe is designated in the 31st Century). Briefly incarcerated by the Justice Society, the new Superman breaks out of his cell in order to save the life of a teenage girl who is in the middle of a suicide attempt. After his identity is confirmed, the alternate Superman confesses to Power Girl how his universe went so wrong, but he admires the motives of her Justice Society. While Kara’s Justice Society tries to recruit new members, a new adversary stalks godlike supervillains and starts eliminating them!

Even though it has been a while since I read Kingdom Come, what struck me most problematic about the basic plot of Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 1 (when it finally settled on one!) was that it seemed like the Justice Society was intent on replicating the same mistakes of the alternate-Earth’s super heroes. For sure, writer Geoff Johns repeats enough that Kara Zor-El’s Justice Society is working to keep superheroes in check and makes sure they learn from their own mistakes, but the recruiting effort of new heroes seems like metahuman eugenics and makes the DC Universe suddenly populated with a ridiculous number of super heroes (the final chapter mentions that there are over three hundred metahumans working in the Armed Forces). As a reader, not invested in the Justice Society, there is something instantly problematic about a book with thinly-defined characters by the dozen who are recruiting more members for their team. As little as I enjoyed the first two chapters of the book (mostly because they are non-sequitors to what follows), they at least explored characters fairly well. After reading them, I had a pretty good idea who Nate Heywood, Jesse Quick, and even Damage, were.

The last half of Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 1 is just scattershot on the character and plot fronts. The plot meanders as little crises pop up and the Justice Society deals with them, while the new team works to find its limits (the Wildcat father and son have a brief, pointless, boxing match, to test their abilities). But with the very thin thread of a villain killing off supervillain “gods,” the rest of Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 1 is padded with character bios that introduce several new characters who leave the reader with no emotional investment in them. Children of former superheroes are approached by members of the Justice Society for consideration for membership and . . . meh. It’s not much of a story. And the volume does not satisfactorily address why the Justice Society feels it needs more members at this particular time. Instead, there is a generic “let’s hunt down children of former superheroes” sensibility (outside Judomaster kicking some serious ass without any sense of regulation).

Geoff Johns might be building something with Alex Ross with the Thy Kingdom Come storyline, but it is not teased in a satisfactory or interesting way in Justice Society Of America: Thy Kingdom Come Volume 1. The book is drawn well-enough (not quite up to the platinum standard of Kingdom Come, but with vibrant enough coloring and clear lines to not be unpleasant to look at, but it is hardly an artistic or conceptual masterpiece.

For other works with the Justice Society Of America or super hero teams, please check out my reviews of:
Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps Volume 2
The Brave And The Bold: Volume 4 – Without Sin
Justice League: Generation Lost Volume 1

3.5/10

For other graphic novel reviews, please check out my Graphic Novel Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Great Concept, Overkill Execution: Uncle Sam!

The Good: Amazing artwork, Great concept
The Bad: Thematically overbearing
The Basics: Uncle Sam might look good and have some awesome ideas, but it is so repetitive, oppressive, and thematically uncomplicated as to make for an ultimately poor read.


As a fan of some of the works of Alex Ross, I decided to make an effort to read the other books by him that I had not yet tracked down. In the case of the works of Alex Ross, I only learned about Uncle Sam through the book about Ross’s artwork, Mythology: The Art Of Alex Ross (reviewed here!) and after so much time, I decided it was time to read it. As a liberal, I was excited about Uncle Sam. From the artwork and the foreword, I was pumped for the short trade paperback anthology.

Uncle Sam was originally written as a two comic book release and is now anthologized in a single paperback or hardcover volume. The book was written by Steve Darnall and features the artwork of Alex Ross. Ross made the beautiful painted books Kingdom Come (reviewed here!) and Justice (reviewed here!), the latter of which remains my favorite graphic novel of all time. So, given how high the bar was set for the projects that Alex Ross has worked on, it was reasonable that I would be excited about Uncle Sam.

So, it was that much more of a letdown when it turned out to be a colossal waste of time.

Uncle Sam might be for some people – the so-called patriots who think they know what America stands for but champion war and unbridled capitalism – but for the enlightened and educated, Uncle Sam is just cripplingly slow and intensely repetitive.

Uncle Sam follows an old man who is struggling to remember who he is. His mind is filled with political slogans and sound bytes and as he wanders the street – his boots get stolen early on – and around him are all the signs of urban decay. The man keeps slipping in and out of the present, falling back in time to the past and various essential incidents in American History. The man was a part of massacres of the native American Indians, the abolitionist movement, the fight for women’s rights and a ton of other key moments in the formation of America. But then he witnesses the corruption of government, the destruction of the economy and all of the ways that the ideals of the nation are twisted into something disturbing. He finds the pseudo-patriotic doppelganger of himself and gets into a psychological battle with it, attempting to assert the values of America.

The artwork in Uncle Sam is predictably amazing. Like Alex Ross’s other works, the book features panels that are painting-quality and the book looks great. The coloring and artwork is impressive.

Unfortunately, the book is thematically oppressive and repetitive to the point of being pointless. The reader will get the point of the book within the first ten pages and the book does not get better or more diverse after that. Early in the book, there is a wonderful story that features the lines, "And slowly, over many years, the people realized they were not citizens. They were not members of a community. They were clocking in and punching out and killing time. They were employees. . . I walk past a nation that's covered in equal parts of dirt and despair." It is an incredible and powerful moment and substory within the book. And the book does not get better after that. Moreover, the book just keeps repeating the same idea.

Capitalism has undermined democracy in the United States. As an anticapitalist, I get it. Uncle Sam is obvious and it just beats that theme to death. Given that there is so much space to the book after it makes its point, it becomes painful to muddle through. Sadly, this was not the inspired work I might have hoped.

For other standalone graphic novels, please check out my reviews of:
Watchmen By Alan Moore
Fray By Joss Whedon
The Hiketeia By Greg Rucka

3/10

For other book reviews, please visit my Graphic Novel Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Limited Splatter, But The Brainiac Justice Action Figure Is Still Very Cool!

The Good: Great sculpt, Good coloring detail, Fair articulation, Fair balance
The Bad: Could always use more articulation, Low collectible value, Coloring is slightly off.
The Basics: The Justice Brainiac action figure is very cool, but it could have used just a little more attention to coloring detail.


Today is my thirty-eight month anniversary and it might be the only anniversary that my wife and I have spent apart. While that is a huge bummer, it did not stop us from spoiling one another with gifts. I sent her a collector’s edition of a book she truly loves. For me, she left a very cool action figure that I have spent a bit of time looking it over. She left me the Justice Brainiac action figure.

For those unfamiliar with it, in Justice (reviewed here!), Brainiac is part of a criminal conspiracy to eliminate the superheroes on Earth. Part of his plan is supplying the villains with cities to rule over and as part of his plan, he dissects Aquaman. In one of the most gruesome sequences, Brainiac removes Aquaman’s brain!

It is Brainiac in his medical coat, bloody fingers and all, that is the subject of the Justice Brainiac action figure.

Basics

The Brainiac figure is well-detailed, especially considering he comes from a comic book with painted panels. The artwork of Alex Ross translates well into the Brainiac figure as this Brainiac has clean lines and an authoritarian look to him! The alien villain stands 7" tall to the top of the figure's bare green head. His costume is white. The only portion of Brainiac that is not white is his hands, which are appropriately red, mottled with blood. Brainiac is from DC Direct.

This toy is an impressive sculpt; for a character that has only had two-dimensional references, Brainiac looks good in all three dimensions. DC Direct sculpted him to have an intense look to his eyes and a strong jawline. In some ways, the facial sculpt makes him look like a bald, green, demented Superman! This character is not molded to look ultra buff. Instead, he looks like an autopsy doctor, with a green head. The only real molded detailing on Brainiac are the computer nodes on his head and the seams and folds on his lab coat.

The coloring for the Brainiac figure is mostly decent. He looked a bit more olive than bright green in Justice and he certainly had more blood splatter on us lab coat when he removed Aquaman’s brain, but this representation is otherwise wonderful. DC Direct even got his intense red eyes to look very cool.

Accessories

Brainiac, insane medical robot, comes with his stand, a scalpel, a brain, and his monkey. The stand is a black and silver square that looks like a piece of flooring. It is 6" by 4.5” and 1/2” tall and it has a pair of peg holes spaced 2” apart. The pegs come with the figure and plug into the base and then into the hole in Brainiac’s right foot. He is perfectly stable on his base.

The scalpel is a very simple plastic cylinder, 15/16” long, with a triangular tip. The scalpel fits only into Brainiac’s left hand. The handle is clean, despite Brainiac’s bloody gloves.

The brain is cute, a pink and black brain accessory 5/8” long, 1/2" wide and 3/8” tall. This looks just like a brain and it is not useful as anything other than something for Brainiac to hold. He can easily hold the brain in his right hand.

The final accessory is one of the coolest and most underwhelming. The monkey that Brainiac has as an assistant is able to perch right on Brainiac’s right shoulder! The monkey is 3 1/4" tall from the top of the wires coming out of his head to the tip of his tail at the bottom. This is textured to look like it has real fur and the coloring detail is at least on part with the Brainiac figure, with its bright blue eyes and the lights on the control box present! But the arms have seams that make it look like the monkey should be articulated there, but it is not. That is a little bit of a letdown, because if it were articulated, it would be able to hold the brain, which is just super creepy! It looks entirely badass perched on Brainiac’s shoulder and it stays there nicely because of the magnet on the bottom of the monkey!

Playability

The DC Direct figures were designed more for display than play. Unfortunately, Brainiac is a bit of a wash on the play front, though it makes for a very cool display piece. He has less articulation than I would like, but better balance off his stand than I would have guessed! Because of his sculpt with the feet very close together, there is only one way to get Brainiac to stand flatfooted. Standing that way, on his own, Brainiac stands fine, but moved out of flatfooted, Brainiac falls right over. On his stand with one foot plugged into the base, he is perfectly stable.

On the plus side, Brainiac has some good articulation, especially in the wrists. Brainiac comes with eleven points of articulation, most of which are simple swivel joints. Brainiac has joints at the knees, groin socket, shoulders, elbows, wrists and head. The elbows and knees are both hinge joints, but the rest are swivel joints, which is disappointing for the head.

Collectibility

Brainiac is part of the DC Direct Justice Series 5 line which was fairly common, despite being mostly distributed through comic book shops. Brainiac was one of two villains in the line and he remains ridiculously easy to find, even now. As a result, he has not retained his value at all. Originally available in the $15 - $20 range, his price has plummeted to $5 - $10. In other words, fans are not likely to ever make money off this figure.

Overview

Brainiac looks good, despite a few niggling coloring issues. Still, as the primary villain of Justice and one of the most formidable adversaries in the DC Universe, this figure is well worth picking up!

For other Justice action figures, please check out my reviews of:
Wave 4 Zatanna
Wave 3 Wonder Woman
Wave 3 Poison Ivy figure
Wave 1 Cheetah figure

8/10

For other toy reviews, please check out my index page!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Legends Of The Fishnets Falls Down From The Start With The Justice Zatanna Figure!

The Good: Good sculpt, Good coloring detail, Generally good accessories, Articulation
The Bad: Terrible balance, Rough edges, Utter inability to stand!
The Basics: The Justice Zatanna action figure falls down, literally, so consistently, that it is impossible to recommend or be impressed by.


In one of the Alex Ross books, I was greatly amused to read a joke he wrote about what his next project was going to be. In the commentary to one of the books he did the artwork for, he made the quip that he was going to work on “Black Canary & Zatanna: Legends Of The Fishnets,” which, frankly, sounds a lot better than some of the DC Comics graphic novels I have read lately! But, as a big fan of Ross’s book Justice, I came to like the character of Zatanna and when I found the figure of her from Justice on a recent trip to my favorite comic book store (cheap, to boot!), I had to pick her up.

Sadly, now I find myself wishing I had waited for DC Direct to make a new, better version of the character.

For those unfamiliar with Zatanna, in Justice (reviewed here!), when the main heroes of the DC Universe are incapacitated, Zatanna is part of the second string of heroes that rise to try to foil the plans of the villains. Using her magic, she becomes a powerful asset in rescuing the imprisoned heroes of Earth.

It is Zatanna in her classic magician’s outfit with tails and fishnets, that is the subject of the Justice Zatanna action figure.

Basics

The Zatanna figure is very well-detailed and is a pretty incredible-looking sculpt, despite having a painfully obvious seam on her neck. The artwork of Alex Ross translates nicely into the Zatanna figure as this Zatanna is leggy, busty and undeniably cool. The figure features well-molded aspects like the bow tie and collar which are raised and the open jacket, through which Zatanna’s bosom strains. The magician stands 6 1/2" tall to the top of the figure's head, without her hat on. Her skin is visible only on her face and below her fishnet stockings on her legs. The fishnets are made of cloth and the jacket’s tail is made of a very soft, flexible plastic that is reminiscent of rubber. The rest of Zatanna is mafe of hard plastic. The Justice rendition of Zatanna is from DC Direct, though there is a fairly new DC Universe version of the same character.

This toy is an excellent sculpt; for a character that has only had two-dimensional references, Zatanna looks good in all three dimensions. DC Direct did not make the character more busty than she already is, so she does not tip like a lot of the Marvel figures of women. DC Direct cast Zatanna in hard plastic and she is solid. Zatanna is molded with her white gloves on her hands and shiny black high heels on her feet. The sculpt forces the character to pretty much always look up and the head is just a little smaller in relation to the rest of the figure than it ought to be. As well, this version of Zatanna seems to have unnaturally long legs! Even so, DC Direct did a pretty awesome job of getting a lot of detail into the mold for Zatanna. There are buttons on her shirt, vest and even on the wrists of her tuxedo coat!

This Zatanna figure has great coloring details as well. Zatanna's eyes are a surprisingly energetic brown that is instantly recognizable to fans of Alex Ross’s works. DC Direct painted this Zatanna well with light rouge to her cheeks giving her realistic skin tones and depth. As well, her lips are a pink that is not overwhelming and the single tones of the rest of her outfit make her look very sharp.

Accessories

Zatanna, heroine of the DC Universe that she is, comes with only her stand, top hat, and magic wand. The stand is a black and silver square that looks like a piece of flooring. It is 6" by 4.5” and 1/2” tall and it has a pair of peg holes spaced 2” apart. The pegs come with the figure and plug into the base and then into the hole in the front of Zatanna’s right foot. Why there are two holes/pegs for a figure with only one foot hole I do not know. She not at all stable, even on her base.

The top hat is a monotonal black hat that is 9/16” high and is not entirely hollow in the middle. Instead, the inside of the hat is molded with the contours of Zatanna’s hair so that it (theoretically) fits on more snugly. No matter how I try, it never stays on terribly well, though it can balance on the head just fine. Unfortunately, though, the moment Zatanna tips over, the hat falls off.

The magic wand is a delicate (less than 1/16” in diameter) cylinder that is 1 1/8” long. It is black with a white tip and it fits fine in Zatanna’s left hand.

Playability

The DC Direct figures were designed more for display than play. This Zatanna is even pretty terribly for for display, though. Zatanna actually has more articulation than most of the DC Direct figures from this era. Despite that, Zatanna has absolutely terrible balance on her own. She is wearing high heels and they are not enough to support the busty figure. Ironically, when the figure is posed as flatfooted as she can be, she tips over to the side, not back and forth! On her stand, she is even more tippable. How is that possible? Quite simply, the peg that goes into the base of her right foot is longer than the hole in her foot is deep, so she cannot stand on her base flatfooted!

Zatanna comes with twelve points of articulation, evenly distributed between simple swivel joints, hinge joints and ball and socket style joints. Zatanna has joints at the knees, groin socket, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist and head. The elbows and knees are both hinge joints, the shoulders, waist and head are all ball and socket joints. Unfortunately, the head articulation is at the base of the neck (not at the head) and as a result of Zatanna’s hard hair, she is not able to move the head all that much. She can move her head in about thirty degrees in any direction. As a result, even when Zatanna is not looking down, her head is pushed forward, like she is straining her face forward. Posed with her head up, though, for the few moments she stands, she looks very good.

Rather annoyingly, the right hand is molded to be able to hold her hat by the brim, but she is not manufactured with the grip tight enough to actually keep ahold of it!

Collectibility

Zatanna is part of the DC Direct Justice Series 4 line which was fairly uncommon, largely because it was mostly distributed through comic book shops. Zatanna was the only woman in the wave and she represented the best Zatanna figure made at the time. Originally available in the $15 - $20 range, she has leapt to the $30 range and held her value there. The Solomon Grundy figure was the chase figure from this series, but Zatanna remains popular, arguably because she had not been made into many action figures! Even so, with the figure’s defects, I suspect that her value will not readily increase from the $35 range and she is a tough sell at that price!

Overview

Zatanna looks good, but her inability to stand makes her unworthy of your fan dollars. And, believe me, it pains me to write that!

For other Justice action figures, please check out my reviews of:
Justice Wave 3 Wonder Woman figure
Justice Wave 3 Poison Ivy figure
Justice Wave 1 Cheetah figure

4/10

For other toy reviews, please check out my index page!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Slightly Less Refined, The Justice Wonder Woman Figure Is Good, But Not Great.

The Good: Great sculpt, Good coloring detail, Decent balance
The Bad: Lasso issues, Rough edges
The Basics: The Justice Wonder Woman action figure is not quite up par with the latest Wonder Woman figure, though they are virtually identical.


Shortly after Christmas, I proudly reviewed one of the best gifts my wife bought for me, the Justice League Classic Icons Wonder Woman (reviewed here!), which I was very happy with and proudly display with my other DC Comics toys. When I posted that review (which, as it turned out, was my first review of 2012!), I was informed by some helpful readers that the new figure was just the Justice Wonder Woman repackaged. As I was able to look at them side by side, I can authoritatively say that they are remarkably similar, but they are not identical. The two Wonder Woman figures have completely different heads, the blue, star-spangled bottom portion of Wonder Woman’s outfit has fewer stars on the Justice version and while they initially appear to have the same legs, they are affixed to the body differently. One of the two Wonder Women has a wider stance than the other! The torso and arms, though, are otherwise identical.

That said, the Justice Wonder Woman has better balance, a more problematic lasso and edges (seams) that are significantly more rough than the newer figure. Even so, for real fans of Wonder Woman, it is hard not to want the Justice version with the wavy, dramatic hair and slightly pissed off look to her face!

For those unfamiliar with Wonder Woman, in Justice (reviewed here!), she is waylaid early in the book by Cheetah (Priscilla Rich). While other villains switch up their attacks or overwhelm the superheroes, Cheetah comes at Diana with brute force and magic, severely wounding her. Before she is wounded, she looks heroic and strong.

It is Wonder Woman before the attack which begins to magically cook her from inside, that is the subject of the Justice Wonder Woman action figure.

Basics

The Wonder Woman figure is very well-detailed and is a good sculpt, despite having seams on the sides, fist and arm that are noticeable (like they were not sanded smooth before the detailing was finished). The artwork of Alex Ross translates nicely into the Wonder Woman figure as this Wonder Woman is muscular, determined-looking and bears all the iconic parts of the Wonder Woman costume. The Themysciran Princess stands 7 1/8" tall to the top of the figure's head. Her skin is visible everywhere but where the boots and one-piece outfit covers. The Justice rendition of Wonder Woman is from DC Direct.

This toy is a excellent sculpt; for a character that has only had two-dimensional references, Wonder Woman looks good in all three dimensions. DC Direct did not make the character insanely busty, so she does not tip like a lot of the Marvel figures of women. DC Direct cast Wonder Woman in hard plastic and she is solid. Wonder Woman is molded with the “W” style outfit (not the later eagle/W costume) and this one features wavy hair that is not quite curly. The “W” looks armored and curves outward at the top of her bust and bottom of it as well. This Wonder Woman is molded to look muscular without looking at all masculine.

This Wonder Woman figure has great coloring details as well. Wonder Woman's eyes are a piercing blue that is instantly recognizable to fans of Alex Ross’s works. DC Direct painted this Wonder Woman well with the reds of her boots and bustier looking vibrant without appearing ridiculous. The only thing not colored are Wonder Woman’s fingernails (which are colored on the new version).

Accessories

Wonder Woman, heroine of the DC Universe that she is, comes with only her stand and her lasso. The stand is a black and silver square that looks like a piece of flooring. It is 6" by 4.5” and 1/2” tall and it has a pair of peg holes spaced 2” apart. The pegs come with the figure and plug into the base and then into the hole in Wonder Woman’s right heel. Why there are two holes/pegs for a figure with only one foot hole I do not know. She is perfectly stable on her base.

The lasso is a coiled gold cord and while it looks fine on the hook on Wonder Woman’s hip, it is a real pain in the butt. The coil does not remain tightly coiled, and the loop that keeps the coil round is exceptionally thin and does not afford one with a way to easily rethread the lasso through it. Even more ridiculous is the fact that neither of Wonder Woman’s hands are designed to hold the lasso. As this uncoils, it looks more problematically ridiculous than cool.

Playability

The DC Direct figures were designed more for display than play. This Wonder Woman is ideal for display, but has a few design quirks with her articulation. She has less articulation than most figures, but I like it in this case; she looks better than a near-naked woman who looks segmented from the various joints. This Wonder Woman actually has decent balance on her own. She can stand flatfooted in most poses off her stand. On her stand with her foot plugged into the base, she is perfectly stable.

Wonder Woman comes with ten points of articulation, most of which are simple swivel joints. Wonder Woman has joints at the knees, groin socket, shoulders, elbows, wrists and head. The elbows and knees are both hinge joints, but the rest are swivel joints, save the head joint. The head is on a ball and socket joint, but because the hair is so spread out behind her, there is almost no movement from the head joint allowed. She can nod about twenty degrees and turn her head side to side about ten. This is not the most robustly articulated figure DC Direct has ever made, but on its stand, she still looks very good. The real articulation issue, though, comes at the groin socket. This Wonder Woman can swing her leg forward about fifty degrees, but not back at all. The result is that this Wonder Woman may be posed doing a partial kick, the beginnings of a leap, but not in a decent running pose. This makes the figure seem like she is more intended for support or appearance than action.

Collectibility

Wonder Woman is part of the DC Direct Justice Series 3 line which was fairly uncommon, largely because it was mostly distributed through comic book shops. Wonder Woman was one of only two women in the wave and she represented the best Wonder Woman figure made at the time. Originally available in the $15 - $20 range, she has skyrocketed to the $35 range and held her value there. Along with the Joker figure from this series, Wonder Woman is the sought-after figure.

Overview

Wonder Woman looks good, but I suspect with the value of the new Wonder Woman figure already soaring, this Wonder Woman’s value may begin to finally come down. This is a good toy, but the details are not as refined and the fact that mine looks like she got into a match of superhero bloody knuckles (i.e. there are deep scratches over the knuckles), is a little frustrating. Even so, she makes a great counterpart to the Cheetah figure and is well worth investing in!

For other Justice or Wonder Woman action figures, please check out my reviews of:
Justice Wave 3 Poison Ivy figure
Justice Wave 1 Cheetah figure
Blackest Night Wave 6 Star Sapphire Wonder Woman

7/10

For other toy reviews, please check out my index page!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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A Quick Read, Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross Is A Wonderful Coffee Table Biography Of Artist Alex Ross!

The Good: Amazing photography, Interesting details and biography
The Bad: Nothing particularly superlative, The writing does not light the world on fire, Does not include anything on Justice!
The Basics: Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross is a beautifully-photographed coffee table biography of one of the world’s premiere comic book artists.


For those who might not read all of my many, many reviews, I am a fan of the artwork of Alex Ross. Alex Ross is a comic book artist who paints panels of artwork for the books that he provides art for. The book Kingdom Come (reviewed here!) is known much more for the art of Alex Ross than the writing of Mark Waid. While that might not be the most fair thing in the world, it is, alas, true. Alex Ross is also the artist of my favorite graphic novel of all time, Justice (reviewed here!). So, if anything, I was excited when my library got in Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross for me. Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross is, as the title suggests, a coffee table book of Alex Ross’s artwork, with a lot of information on his process, his biography and his thoughts on his final works.

Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross is written by Chip Kidd, who serves as a decent biographer for Alex Ross. Unfortunately for fans of Alex Ross like me, Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross was written after Kingdom Come and JLA: Secret Origins (reviewed here!), but before Justice. As a result, Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross is missing what promised to be some of the most interesting sections to me. The book is chock full of information on Uncle Sam, which is now in my graphic novel “to read” list because of how intriguing this book made it seem!

Chip Kidd presents a decent chronological narrative of Alex Ross’s life in Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross. Perhaps most interestingly, Kidd quickly dispels the potential myth that Ross was heavily influenced by the style of his mother. Ross’s mother was an artist for years before she became a homemaker and Ross did not encounter her art until long after he was an established artist. Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross includes basic stories about Alex Ross’s interest in comic books, along with full-color pictures of his earliest drawings of super heroes. Kidd then details how Ross first came to work for DC Comics.

Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross becomes an astonishing resource for fans of Kingdom Come then. Through detailed interviews with Ross, Chip Kidd explores the creative genesis for Kingdom Come. Readers are walked through the character design process of Superman and Batman and are treated to extensive sketches, prototype paintings and reflections on them by Alex Ross. Through much of the middle portion of Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross, Chip Kidd takes a backseat to Ross himself. Kidd acts as a relay, phrasing or rephrasing Alex Ross’s stories on the creation of Kingdom Come without providing any editorializing of his own.

Kidd’s reluctance to editorialize continues through much of the rest of Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross. Kidd chronicles Alex Ross’s rise to popularity in the wake of the massive commercial success of Kingdom Come and he even explores the bounty of merchandise that was released surrounding Kingdom Come. In that way, Kidd and Ross detail the influence Alex Ross had on the promotional materials, toys and other merchandise surrounding Kingdom Come and the Ross’s subsequent work for DC Comics and the Warner Bros. store. Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross also includes a bounty of information on Alex Ross’s Uncle Sam. In the wake of Kingdom Come, Alex Ross could pursue whatever projects he wanted and he chose the politically-charged Uncle Sam. In Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross, Chip Kidd walks through that decision and the artwork of Uncle Sam with Ross.

Unfortunately for Alex Ross fans, Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross appears to have been published well before Justice. There is nary a mention of the massive, amazing project in the book. Big pout.

That said, what Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross has far outweighs what it is lacking. The book is a museum to the work of Alex Ross and includes everything from photographs of superhero puppets he made as a child to the photographs he used to base some of his iconic paintings off of. Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross is visually impressive, with its glossy photographs of virtually every work Alex Ross did for DC Comics, including the four “tabloid books” that focused on Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel.

There is some irony, too, which Chip Kidd is (unfortunately) unable to elaborate, exploit or explain. In discussing the origins of his career with DC Comics, Kidd reveals that the first work Ross had was to create the cover for the novelization of the story of the death of Superman. Ross actually had to be talked into the project because he did not want to have to paint Superman with long hair (which was how he appeared following the Reign Of The Supermen arc). The irony comes from the fact that when Superman makes his appearance in Kingdom Come, he is older, in hiding . . . and wears his hair long! How Kidd did not ask Ross about that is unfathomable (at least to a die-hard fan like me!).

In the end, Mythology: The DC Comics Art Of Alex Ross is well worth reading for anyone who loves comics, especially those who are fans of DC Comics and the works of Alex Ross. It’s a much tougher sell for buyers, though. It’s an enjoyable book, but it is not the ultimate guide to all things Alex Ross and at full price, it is expensive.

For other books on popular media and comic books, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
The Ultimate Wonder Woman Encyclopedia – Phil Jimenez
Watchmen Portraits – Clay Enos
Where No One Has Gone Before: A History In Pictures – J.M. Dillard

6/10

For other book reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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