Patrick's Hat Trick: DC Universe 0, Other Books 2

by Patrick

Hey everyone. It's New comics day!

And today we have the big DC UNIVERSE 0- the launchpad for more than one DC event. Is it worth the 50 cents? Plus: GREEN LANTERN 30 (the 2nd chapter of Secret Origin) and ACTION COMICS 864 (the epilogue to Superman and the Legion Of Super-Heroes.) (and I guess I should give you a spoiler warning for DC Universe 0, but that news is all over the internet already, so just make with the click and read it)


GREEN LANTERN #30: I'm starting to see a pattern in Green Lantern, and it's not one I'm really that excited about. The book took two years setting up the Sinestro Corps War. And while that story was great, the book for the two years leading up to it were just average. I even dropped it once, but then they started hinting that big things were going to happen and I stayed on. It's been about six months since the Corps War ended, and the book is once again in a stage where it seems to just be setting things up for the next big storyline. And while it is a lot of fun to watch someone knock down a big train of dominios then it is to watch someone set them up. And all Green Lantern is right now is set up. GRADE: C

ACTION COMICS 864: As I mentioned in the introduction, this week we get an epilogue to the six-part SUPERMAN AND THE LEGION story. But it's also a prolog to the upcoming LEGION OF THREE WORLDS. It's got some nice moments with Superman and Lighting Lad, as well as Superman and Batman. The reveal of a long time Legion foe operating behind the scenes. Heck, it even ties into Countdown and manages not to suck. Action Comics is currently one of my favorite books, and I'm really excitted for James Robinson to take over Superman. GRADE: B+ (No Gary Frank art, and the fill in artist, while okay, is no Gary Frank)

DC UNIVERSE 0: for 50 cents, you get a nice little preview of what's going to happen in quite a few book in the DC Universe. Hey- maybe that's where they got the name from! There are some interesting ideas, but if you are looking for a full formed beginning, middle and end. Stick your 50 cents back in your pocket and go buy a... what else can you buy for 50 cents today? Interesting ideas. Some good art by people with names like GEORGE PEREZ, CARLOS PACHECO, and JG JONES to name a few. It's not the book that DC hyped it up to be, but it sure doesn't suck either. GRADE: B-

Okay, if you missed it before the jump: I'm going to talk about the big "suprise" that is on every comic sites front page. SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT!I really think DC messed up by putting out press releases and saying that Barry Allen was back. Because the way it's presented in the book, it could be Barry Allen, but it could have also been Impulse, Max Mercury, or any of the other half dozen speedsters that have gone off to that great big speed-force in the sky. And Final Crisis #1 doesn't come out for a month. The fan sites would be speculating if it was him or not. Rich Johnson would be making up stories about if it was him or not. And I think the uncertainty could have been fun. But we know who it is. And it better be one hell of a story if they are going to undo one of the best deaths of all time.

Or is it undone. I'm going to speculate that this is not the perminate return of Barry Allen. He told Wally he would see him three times a few years ago. He's only come back twice. And those issues were written by Geoff Johns, who co-wrote this. Anyways, that's just my guess. I've been wrong before. I'll be wrong again.