All Across the Universe

GREEN LANTERN #25
Written by Geoff Johns; Art by Ivan Reis, Ethan Van Sciver and Oclair Albert; Variant cover by Gary Frank

Minor Spoilers. Major Spoilers are blocked off.

Come to think of it, the plot-bloated but emotionally resonant Infinite Crisis feels like a prequel to Geoff Johns’ dark oeuvre The Sinestro Corps War, which is as much a story of Sinestro recruits Superboy Prime and Cyborg Superman as it is the fall and rise of the Green Lantern Corps. What started out as the best major event opener in DC’s convulsing superhero history has finally wrapped up in Green Lantern #25 and, well, it kept me coming up for air most of the time. A solid 30-minute read it will take you about the same time (or longer) to admire the details of the art. Reis’ pencils are breathtakingly cinematic. Pace perfect. A bloody valentine to space operas.

Geoff Johns has always been more about the story than the concepts. And Sinestro Corps War, he expertly tells. Watching him weave a universe-full of story threads into a clear action-driven, morally-centered epic is simply a wonder. It could have been messy (Countdown) or choppy (Infinite Crisis), but this one is just one smooth ride to a GL mythos-shattering finale.

The Green Lantern Corps books are independent from the main title but I did find them more interesting. More theoretical, more adventurous with its inventions. Hal will live through this war, I’m sure, but the battle in Lantern Mogu had me guessing the outcome. Gibbons and Tomasi made the corps more heroic than superheroic, just your ordinary (space) cops (Zaido!) making a living. And they have the world to lose.

I’m still reeling from the magnitude of it all—there’s nothing more I want to do than finish the last two tie-ins (GLC Corps epilogue and the ION special) before giving the series another read. But as it is, the Sinestro Corps War is this year's best. Nothing even comes close. And with the lethal force activated in the power rings and the birth of the blue and black lanterns, 2009's Blackest Night just can’t come faster enough. ****1/2

Thor Says: The Best of 2006 in Comics v.1

A year of crisis, a year of reboots. And I’m not just talking about my personal life. This is the best year to get back into comics. Continuities are cleaned up; storylines are brassy new, and our heroes learn how to be heroes again. And oh, all Civil War titles will have to be runners-up for now since shipping is always delayed. Heh.

Best Story INFINITE CRISIS
Epic, cinemascope storytelling. Taking root in the universe-spanning Crisis on Infinite Earths and the more recent crime drama Identity Crisis, Infinite Crisis redefines taking a plunge with blind Juggernaut momentum. Johns and Jimenez take us from a nuclear detonation in Bludhaven to the imploding Rann galactica to a universe-bending portal powered by Black Adam and Power Girl among others. We might not always get it (instantly) but we are definitely swept away. By the palpable desperation of Superman. By the sheer bravado of the speedsters and the GL corps. By the sacrifice of a teenager in love.

Runners-up CIVIL WAR: Frontline (Marvel), RUNAWAYS: Parental Guidance (Marvel), TEEN TITANS: Titans Around the World (DC)



Best Book 52
A weekly comic by Mark Waid, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Geoff Johns. Cover by J.G. Jones. And there's no hype to live up to. Just writers telling stories and artists sketching the missing year between I.C. and the One Year Later jump all DC titles took before IC wrapped up. What was a gamble is now an extraordinary triumph of affected storytelling. And it lives up to its promise. Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman are not missed. At all. Instead we get to root for C-listers Renee Montoya, The Question, Steel, Booster Gold and Skeets, and almost forgotten fan favorites Animal Man and Adam Strange. And Lobo. The lost in space crew, the Black Adam family, the mysterious Batwoman, and Lex Corp.'s Infinity Inc. are all about to collide next year, and I'm guessing it will soon be time for JSA #1's opening panel World War III.

Runners-up FABLES (Vertigo), THE ULTIMATES 2 (Marvel), ASTONISHING X-MEN (Marvel), Y: The Last Man (Vertigo)

Best Hero IRON MAN
Because right now, he is both hero and villain and there's no one remotely more interesting in the Marvel Universe than this recovering alcoholic corporate mogul who cannot survive outside his armor. And Iron Man beating up Captain America, that's the sweetest. Turn around or not at the end of CW, he is the necessary catalyst that is changing the Marvel Universe.

Runners-up GREEN ARROW (DC), RENEE MONTOYA (DC), EMMA FROST (Marvel), BLACK BOLT (Marvel)

Holy Shit!

As seen on Geoff Johns' board: Titans East is just two issues away. The team has gone through a massive amounts of changes over the last year. They lost several members, they've tried to find new ones, it hasn't worked...but now new members are coming on to the team. They found one they thought was lost and Ravager's found a brother. Kid Devil's secret will begin to tear at his heart. Robin and Wonder Girl find new hope. This team might actually become a family again...

...but this new family is about to be challenged.

The beautiful cover to Teen Titans 45 by Tony Daniel...

The kids are doing fine

Teen Titans #38 (DC)
Written by Geoff Johns; Art by Tony Daniel and Kevin Conrad; Cover by Daniels

Or another issue filled with exclamation points. This is so far my favorite of all the OYL titles, surprisingly quick-witted in almost all issues. Geoff Johns did an amazing job with the short Doom Patrol arc, making the Chief a prime, fucked up master-bator of manipulation, but not without reason. And the shocker at the end of issue #37 makes me want to stay around for a very long time. The new line-up also keeps things continually on the edge. So. Where to begin. Issue #38 starts a couple of new storylines minus the disjointedness. Reveals the team's roster in the missing one year, lots of newcomers --- including Mas y Menos from the cartoon! --- and lots of returning Titans (can't stop looking at that spread). The search for Raven continues, but not after revealing that she left the group for a reason. A scary reason (that is yet to be revealed), and not just because she broke up with BB. And Slade has begun recruiting for his Titans East. Fat issue. Great cover. A plot that just won't quit twisting. *****



The Flash: Fastest Man Alive #3 (DC)
Written by Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo; Art by Karl Kerschl; Cover by Ken Lashley

Finally, some action. Not the heaving kind but you can feel the muscles twitching. There's a new hero in town, brash and impatient where Bart is hesitant and, uh, hesitant. This title poses too many questions, and it's getting piled up like those books on the floor that you always trip on on your way to bed. The speed force is shifty, and this should make for burned asphalt action. Research is not action. Bilson and DeMeo write inoffensive dialogues but everything's just too safe. Bart, way back in the Teen Titans, was a stubborn show-off. And now he's like "I'm not the Flash." Wally, where art thou? **