Metal Gear Solid

METAL MEN #1
Written by Duncan Rouleau;
Art and Cover by Rouleau

From Grant Morrison's heavy metal wisdom. If that's not enough, check out Rouleau's art that is as detailed as an integrated circuit. And the writing, oh man. Funny, quirky, purely consuming.

Slick.

I don't remember much of the Metal Men's books but they've made quite an impression on my early funny book reading years. And their (temperamental) resurrection in the pages of 52 just made me want to pick up anything Metal.

Rouleau's first issue is less sinister, more adventure clever. This is easily one of the best team book debuts. No sitting around on their asses looking at superhero pin-ups. This launches straight into temporal jumping action, periodic table banter, and an ominous cliffhanger.

If you're not buying any DC titles and have been burned by the fractured storytelling of Countdown (I have) or the insulting silliness of Amazons Attack! or the numerous cross-overs, then at least get this (and maybe Green Lantern). It will bring your faith back in comic books and its uncanny ability to make you smile. *****


MIDNIGHTER #10
Written by Keith Giffen;
Art and Cover by Chris Sprouse and Karl Story

Consider this Midnighter #1. Ennis' run was fun for the first 2 issues. BKV's was a great filler. Gage's was just dull; a shame really since Leon's art was refreshingly high-strung.

Giffen's issue starts with a reference to Ellis' Authority run. A woman Midnighter saves from thugs jumps out a window in fear of what he stood for. "You killed God!," she screams before she takes her own life.

Jenny drops by and sets Midnighter off to discover his secret history, his pre-meta identity.

I scratch my chin. Interesting. Definitely a new direction for what seems like the Batman or Wolverine of WildStorm. ****

Bluer than blue

BLUE BEETLE #4
Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers; Art by Cully Hamner; Cover by Duncan Rouleau

Major screw-ups at work with a capital F, and instead of the usual trip to Rustan's for a sweet threesome (Ben & Jerry's) I head to Filbar's. So I end up buying 5 Batman back issues (the ones leading to the annual), Shadowpact #2 and #4 (Ragman and Enchantress shipper, heh), and Blue Beetle #3 and #4 --- because, uh.

This title is lost in transition. Teenager Jaime Reyes is trying to figure out a lot of things, too many things: what happened in the one year he disappeared (apparently, he has been missing for a year from the time of the battle with Brother Eye), how to work the suit (nice Gundam-ish battle armor), how to un-work the suit, and what the hell a Blue Beetle should be. Dangled modifier aside, it was cool to see Jaime doing research on Dan Garrett and Ted Kord. The exchange with Oracle got me a little excited, but no. No chance of having the Birds of Prey in this issue, who I've been loving since Gail Simone took over. For now, there are mostly questions but it would be interesting to see where this series goes. Ted Kord refused to bond with the scarab. Jaime on the other hand allows it to dig deep into his back and latch on to his spine. That's gotta hurt. So bring on the pain. Bring on the other heroes. And please, bring on the answers. ***