Book Review: Geiger by G. Johns et al.

Geiger created by Geoff Johns and Garry Frank with colors by Brad Anderson

In a post-nuclear war future, one man can still live outside without a radiation suit, Tariq Geiger. He'd had cancer before the war and his experimental treatments changed him enough to survive when the bombs dropped. He was altered by the bombs, gaining powers of heat and light that have made him a legend to the other survivors, most notably the residents of nearby Las Vegas. The city has turned into a decadent monarchy and the latest leader wants Geiger's head as a trophy.

Geiger's family made it into their underground bunker but he had to stay outside to fight off neighbors who wanted in. Decades after, he's still protecting the bunker waiting the radiation to drop to safe levels. The Vegas people show up to cause trouble. The story spins out from there, with some post-apocalyptic fighting and drama. 

Overall I found it interesting though it borrows a lot from other properties. The even-more-decadent Las Vegas has had plenty of iterations. Radiation enducing powers is a staple of Marvel Comics. There's a little bit of Mad Max/Road Warrior stuff thrown in too. Geiger is a reluctant hero who only uses his powers when he feels forced to. The plot ranges around, letting the creators establish the world. I wasn't wowed by this book but I would read more.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: B.P.R.D. Omnibus Vol. 1 by M. Mignola et al.

B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 1 stories by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Geoff Johns, and others; art by Mike Mignola, Guy Davis, Cameron Stewart, and others; letters by Clem Robins, Michelle Madsen, and others

A series of stories featuring the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, the place where Hellboy grew up and worked for years (though he is no longer with them in these stories).

The Hollow Earth--Liz Sherman has been gone from B.P.R.D. Headquarters for a couple of years. She wanted to learn to control her powers and wandered off to a snowy monastery. But now she's in trouble and has sent a pyschic distress signal to Abe Sapien. He rushes off to find her just as he and Roger the Homunculus are considering leaving the B.P.R.D. They are joined in the snowy search by Kate Corrigan and the Bureau's newest addition, Johann Krauss, a disembodied medium who travels in an old-fashioned diver's suit. They find the monastery in ruins with a weird passage into the middle of the Earth. The adventure is interesting and Mignola's art looks great.

Abe Sapien Vs Science--Roger the Homunculus is seemingly dead and all efforts by the B.P.R.D. scientists have failed to revive him. Well, maybe not all efforts. They plan to switch over to autopsy to learn more about how Roger was made but go for a cigarette break. Abe slips in and saves the day. It's a poignant little tale that I like a lot.

Drums of the Dead--A shipping line is plagued by sharks, which is not so bad. Their real problem is when their crews hear drums in the middle of the ocean. Invariably, one or more crew members start speaking in a strange language, attack the other crew members, and jump overboard. The B.P.R.D. is called and Abe Sapien comes with a new agent (a psychic) to investigate. The story has a good blend of horror and history, making it a very good read.

The Soul of Venice--The B.P.R.D. team is dispatched to Venice, where the pipes are exploding and the water is disgusting. The supernatural cause is not immediately obvious but does stem from the ancient Roman roots of the town (as in Roman gods). The story has some good twists though it is a fair standard adventure.

Dark Waters--A Massachusetts town that's not Salem (which is nearby) is draining the town square pond, only to discover three perfectly preserved women in shackles at the bottom. They are dead but their memory brings out the worst in a few of the town folk. The B.P.R.D. is called in and they help to resolve the situation through smarts and heart.

Night Train--Roger and Liz go to investigate a spooky train that has been terrorizing a neighborhood in the American South. The story starts with a Lobster Johnson adventure about a train wrecked by a Nazi in the American Southwest. Are the stories related? Obviously, though I found the ending tried to cram in too much stuff, making it feel rushed and choppy. They need some more pages of exposition and action!

There's Something Under My Bed--Kids are being abducted from a small town in the middle of the night after complaining about "a monster under the bed." The team comes in to investigate, though Abe Sapien, being a fish man, is not so enthusiastic about kids dealing with monsters. The story makes some good points about the difference between being a monster and acting monstrously. It's also a fun tale that resolves well for all.

Another Day at the Office--Abe and Johann investigate a zombie outbreak in an Eastern European city. As the title suggests, this story is a typical adventure for the gang. It's short and works well.

Plague of Frogs--A long, ongoing storyline starts here as the team discovers and then fights an outbreak of a fungus that turns humans in to frog-like humanoids. The story is creepy and delves into Abe Sapien's past, since he's got a bit of the amphibian in him too. Guy Davis is the artist and his style became the template for the B.P.R.D. stories. It looks a bit more like regular comic books (as opposed to the stark visuals from Mignola) and works well.

This is a very entertaining collection, providing a lot of different stories that show the characters and the world they live in. Even though there is plenty of references to previous storylines, they are easy to follow and help newcomers get up to speed.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: Olympus by G. Johns et al.

 Olympus written by Geoff Johns and Kris Grimminger, and illustrated by Butch Guice

An archaeology professor and three of her students end their European learning tour with a dive in the Aegean Sea. They discover a very old shipwreck and bring back a box. The archaeology program is about to be shut down because they haven't had any results, so the team decides to open the box rather than turn it over to the Greek authorities. They discover a strange and ancient vase inside. A storm suddenly comes up as another ship approaches too close. The other boat is full of mercenaries who board the archaeologists' ship. The storm gets worse, destroying the mercenary vessel. The science boat crashes on a sun-drenched beach. Suddenly the storm is gone. The shore is unfamiliar, especially the gigantic statue of Zeus on the hillside. The people discover they are shipwrecked on Mount Olympus and are soon fighting all sorts of mythical (or so they thought) monsters in an attempt to return the vase to its proper place at the top of Olympus.

The story is fun and action-packed. The violence is a bit gruesome at points (a Cyclops eats what a Cyclops eats) and the language is definitely R-rated. The mercenaries are generally unlikable, making them good cannon fodder for the island's inhabitants. The archaeologists are the heroes. One female student wears a bikini through the whole story, which seems unlikely and looks exploitative. That's the kind of action story this is.

Recommended for some light action reading.

Book Review: Shazam! by G. Johns et al.

Shazam! written by Geoff Johns and art by Gary Frank

Billy Batson is a poor orphan boy. He's gone from foster home to foster home, where he has been rejected again and again. The reason--he's an arrogant jerk. He winds up with the Vasquezes, who have five other adopted children. He barely fits in, though he does stick up for his pseudo-siblings when they are bullied at school. So Billy has potential as a hero, though little actuality. On a subway ride he is transported to the Rock of Eternity. There, an ancient wizard gives him the power to be a champion, specifically the champion Shazam. The wizard is desperate because Black Adam, another champion with the same magical power, has been released from his imprisonment and is, in typically supervillain fashion, gonna kill us all.

Johns is a really good writer who adds lots of snappy dialogue and the plot line is interesting. Batson has enough mix of bad and good elements to make his changes believable. He's also convincing as an immature kid granted amazing powers. The villain has a backstory that makes him more understandable if not sympathetic. The story is from DC's New 52, so it is older. This story looks like the basis for the recent movie. I haven't seen the movie but from the trailers and some reviews I read, this is the origin story they used for the film.

Recommended.

Book Review: Superman: Brainiac by G. Johns et al.

Superman: Brainiac written by Geoff Johns, pencilled by Gary Frank, and inked by Jon Sibal

After a harrowing account of an attack on Krypton during which the city of Kandor is stolen, the story jumps to modern day Earth. A Daily Planet staff meeting is cut short when Clark Kent leaves to investigate a crashing space probe. As Superman, he discovers the probe is from Brainiac, an alien intelligence that has pestered him on and off through the years. The probe does nothing more than confirm Superman is Kryptonian--then it shuts down. Superman takes the probe to the Fortress of Solitude where he and Supergirl analyze it to find out why it came. Supergirl has memories of the Kandorian attack (which was Brainiac's work) and is frightened by the prospect of facing him. She's also scared of Brainiac doing to Earth what he did to Krypton. Superman decides to take the fight to Brainiac. He reverse-engineers the probe's guidance system to find where Brainiac is. He leaves without telling Supergirl so she does not have to face her childhood terror. Superman discovers more than he bargained for and, naturally, Brainiac has discovered Earth and does threaten it. So Supergirl isn't off the hook.

The story does a great job pulling in different aspects of Superman's mythology, combining them in a new and interesting way. The dialog is very well-written, blending comedy, exposition, and drama effortlessly. Brainiac is a fascinating villain and makes a nice foil to Superman. A few bits of the plot don't make sense, but not enough to drag the story down.

Recommended.

Book Review: Wonder Woman: Her Greatest Battles by G. Ruka et al.

Wonder Woman: Her Greatest Battles written by Greg Ruka, George Perez, John Byrne, Gail Simone, Geoff Johns, and Brian Azzarello with art by many talented artists

Ares, Medusa, Cheeta, Power Girl, Superman, and a host of others (including the vengeful children of Ares!) face off against Diana of Themyscira, better known as Wonder Woman. This book takes seven single issues from the past thirty years and gives readers almost literally Wonder Woman's greatest hits. The stories are epic and entertaining, showcasing not only her amazing strength and agility but also her intelligence and integrity. She is a powerful fighter and often makes tough sacrifices in order to save the mortals of Earth.

The art ranges from good to great and the writing is very well done. Highly recommended!

Book Review: Trinity War by Geoff Johns et al.

Trinity War written by Geoff Johns and others

8000 years before Christ, Pandora and two others are punished for their crimes. Pandora's crime is opening her box (a creepy golden skull with an extra ruby eye in the forehead), which lets evil enter the Earth. She is forced to wander the planet for eternity and see the results of her act. In modern times, she is told that she can undo the damage if she can get the person with the purest or the darkest heart to open the box. She goes to Superman, who tries to open it but is seemingly possessed by an evil entity. Pandora flees with the box and Superman returns to normal (or so we are lead to believe).

Meanwhile, Steve Trevor (ex-boyfriend of Wonder Woman) is in charge of the Justice League of America. They are a group of second-string superheroes put together by a government agent in case the Justice League (Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, et al.) gets out of line. Just such a situation arises when the Justice League goes to Kahndaq (a fictional African country) where Shazam is burying his nemesis, Black Adam, which may cause a massive political incident. Shazam doesn't surrender and a fight breaks out. The Justice League of America shows up and the fight gets bigger. Superman, in a fit of rage, kills JLA member Doctor Light (don't worry if you haven't heard of him--apparently he is a recent addition to the DC canon) so things go from bad to worse. Superman is imprisoned and becomes physically ill while the rest of the superheroes (including Justice League Dark members who specialize in magic) try to figure out what really happened and what to do with Pandora and her box.

The plot is sprawling, with plenty of minor mysteries along the way. I found it interesting but a little overwhelming since every current hero character is stuffed into the story, some of whom I know little or nothing (who is Stargirl and what does her cane do? No answers in this book). Without that larger awareness of the DC universe, parts are hard to follow. And the story winds up as a lead in to another story, which is clever marketing but I'm not so interested that I am going to get the next volume.

At least I know a lot more about the story for the Dice Masters Organized Play campaign I'm in (which doesn't really follow the plot of the graphic novel but there are flavor elements).

Book Review: Green Lantern Vol. 3: The End by Geoff Johns et al.

Green Lantern Vol. 3: The End (The New 52) by Geoff Johns et al.

This volume of Green Lantern brings to an end a nearly ten-year run of stories written by Geoff Johns, one of the star writers at DC Comics. The story follows from the last volume, where Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Sinestro have been sucked into Black Lantern's ring, where they inhabit the Dead Zone. Most everyone there is really dead. They still have a bit of living in them, so there's a chance for them to escape.

Meanwhile Jordan's power ring thinks he is dead because it flies off in search of a new Green Lantern. It finds Simon Baz, an Arab-American who has been accused of a terrorist act and is currently being interrogated by the US government. He stole a van (part of a career of car theft) to help out his sister and nephew. Baz discovers the van has a bomb inside so he decides to drive somewhere unpopulated--the car manufacturing plant that shut down and left him unemployed. Naturally the Feds think he has a vendetta against the company and start using tougher techniques to get information from him about other terrorists he knows. His resistance, i.e. the ability to overcome great fear, makes him a prime candidate for a Green Lantern ring. So it breaks into his jail cell and he breaks out.

Baz is thrown into a chaotic universe. The Guardians have unleashed a Third Army to remove free will from the universe, one sentient being at a time. So he's on the run even as a Green Lantern. Can he get Hal Jordan and Sinestro out of the Black Lantern ring? Can he sort out his own life and convince the Feds he's innocent? Will the Green Lanterns be able to stop the Third Army?

The story does have an epic feel to it and it is a great ending to Geoff Johns's run on the Green Lantern. He's able to wrap up a lot of different story lines and character arcs. The one weakness is the Simon Baz storyline, which comes off as cliched and completely unsurprising. Unfortunately, that storyline takes up a big chunk of the graphic novel. I kept waiting for the story to get back to Hal and the other more interesting characters. That being said, the ending is very satisfying and is a must-read for Green Lantern fans.

One note: I read this on Kindle for the iPad which was fine except for the occasional "splash pages," where an image would cover two print pages. Also, there must have been a fold-out extra long image which was also difficult to appreciate in the Kindle format. I recommend paper!

Book Review: Green Lantern Vol. 2: The Revenge of Black Hand

Green Lantern Volume 2: The Revenge of Black Hand by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke

The uneasy alliance of Sinestro (former Yellow Lantern and sworn enemy of Green Lantern Hal Jordan) and Hal Jordan continues from the last book. Sinestro has discovered a plot by the Guardians of the Galaxy (who lead the Green Lantern Corps) to get rid of the Green Lanterns and control the universe with a mysterious "Third Army." Before Sinestro has a chance to drag Jordan back into the action, the mysterious Indigo Tribe (who wield the light of compassion) drags Sinestro back to their home world. Jordan pursues, finding more than he bargained for. His old enemy, Black Hand, is one of the Indigo Tribe and seems to be reformed, or at least brainwashed, into serving the tribe. But what is really going on, and how is Abin Sur (the Green Lantern who gave his ring to Jordan as he died) related to the Indigo Tribe?

The story spins out nicely with plenty of action and plot development. The secret of the tribe is pretty interesting and fits well with the themes of redemption being explored for the various characters (especially Sinestro, Jordan, and Black Hand). The secret is also related to the larger plot involving the Guardians' shenanigans. I'm curious to read more!

Book Review: Green Lantern Vol. 1: Sinestro

Green Lantern Volume 1: Sinestro by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke

It is often said that the best villains are the characters who do not think they are doing evil. A fine example of this is Sinestro in the "New 52" reboot of Green Lantern. Originally I was less than enthusiastic about the "New 52" as it seems like another attempt to get new people into reading comics by promising to let go of the previous character continuity and freshen up the stories with more modern settings and characterizations. For example, Clark Kent becomes an independent blogger rather than a lowly, befuddled reporter for the Daily Planet. Such a re-write hasn't happened with the Green Lantern storyline. Sure, Hal Jordan has been tossed out of the Green Lantern Corps. And his arch-nemesis (as any fan of the old Superfriends show knows) Sinestro is selected to have a Green Lantern ring after years of fighting the Lanterns in general and Jordan in particular with his own corps of Yellow Lanterns.

Now that the ring is on the other finger, Sinestro is playing along with being a Green Lantern. His home world of Korugar has been overrun by the Yellow Lantern Corps. They rule with terror and murder while they await the return of their master, Sinestro. He is understandably unhappy with his corps' crimes against his own people on his own world (even though he had been a ruthless dictator there for many years). Sinestro believes in order. Sometimes order needs to be imposed, by harsh methods if necessary. But only on his own terms. He plans to remove the Yellow Lanterns but needs Hal Jordan's help in beating them.

Hal, after being kicked to the curb by the Corps, is lost with nothing to do. He was a jet pilot but his record of recklessness has kept him grounded. Work opportunities that aren't saving the galaxy from the likes of Sinestro are unappealing to him. He has a hard time reconnecting with his long time girlfriend Carol Ferris.

So all the backstory is still in play for the new Green Lantern storyline, which is a very interesting one indeed. Sinestro is unclear why he has been chosen to be a Green Lantern again after years of being out of the corps and fighting against it. But he seizes the opportunity to restore order on his home world. Jordan reluctantly joins up with Sinestro because it's his only chance to get back in the action, if not in the Corps. The uneasy alliance continues because of new revelations of deeper plans that will put the universe's welfare in question.

The book is very interesting and I want to read more!