Final Crisis Comic Book Reviews for 06/18/08

I can't believe I forgot to mention this yesterday, what, with having run a contest on it for about two weeks, but Atomic Robo TPB Volume 1: Atomic Robo & the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne came out yesterday! If you didn't win the contest, go out and buy it now, you won't regret it!

After you've finished purchasing the Atomic Robo trade, feel free to browse the rest of this week's comic book reviews in the Final Crisis Comic Book Reviews!

BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #8
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Julian Lopez and Bit

This was probably the best issue of Batman and the Outsiders so far. There was action, comedy and it finally felt like I was reading about the characters instead of just watching random action scenes strung together to form a plot. It's a shame Dixon is on his way out when he finally seems to be hitting his stride on this title.

As you can tell by the cover, Batgirl, the only member of the Outsiders currently in China that was not captured, finally makes her move.

Unfortunately, it's not very Batman-esque as it only involves freeing her teammates at their executions so they can simply die on their feet. No, really, that's her plan. No elaborate escape plan or wish to free them. Just wanted to let them die on their feet instead of lined up and mowed down. Thankfully, Batman is the goddamn Batman and has Nightwing, Thunder and the Remac, now under a motion control system, have used the JLA teleporter to warp to China to save the team.

The Remac or, should I say, the scientist in control of him, Dr Salah Miandad, was actually the best part of this issue. Using the motion control system, jury rigged through the Batcave computers, we get flashes of him and Alfred as he uses the Remac to distract everyone. When Miandad realizes who Alfred is (the guy who made the sandwiches!) is probably the funniest part of the issue as the Remac starts mimmicking Miandad's motions as he speaks with Alfred instead of fighting the Great Ten and Chinese army.

Seeing Nightwing in this issue only makes me wish he was an actual member of the Outsiders. He was probably the best written character in this issue and he definitely makes more sense than having Green Arrow appearing in three or four books this week, let alone every month.

Verdict - Check It. In the end, this is still an Outsiders story, despite being the best of the series so far, and, as such, it's still very much a popcorn flick cum comic book. However, this was a huge improvement over recent issues and is probably worth a look for most fans.


IRON MAN: DIRECTOR OF SHIELD #30
Written by Stuart Moore
Art by Roberto De La Torre

Have you ever brought a book home from the comic shop, tried to sit down and read it and just could not find a way to physically read it?

I wasn't impressed with Stuart Moore's first issue of Director of SHIELD, but it wasn't terrible. This second issue, I just couldn't sit through a single page. I eventually just started flipping through the pages, one after another, reading bits and pieces as I went a long, and not a single thing in this issue stood out to me or made me want to even bother reading a single page.

While Countdown was bad, it was possible, through morbid curiousity, to sit through the issue and read it. This issue of DoS just bored me to tears through the first few pages and I just gave up half way through. Iron Man fights a giant, floating, nanomachine-created "brain", gets taken down by Paladin, a scrub, third rate mercenary, and that's about all that happens from what I could subject myself to reading.

Verdict - Avoid It. I'm done with Director of SHIELD. With the Knaufs gone and hastily thrown together fill-ins that are set to go on indefinitely, it looks like the this Iron Man title is on the cutting room floor at Marvel, either until Nick Fury possibly takes over or they cancel this title in favour of the movie Iron Man version over in Invincible.


SECRET INVASION: FANTASTIC FOUR #2
Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art by Barry Kitson

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this issue after the decidedly average first issue. I was unjustly worried that this was going to be a collossal waste of time and money on a pointless tie-in.

While the pointless tie-in aspect does remain, as nothing important or even noteworthy happens in relation to the actual Secret Invasion event, I'm happy to say that this mini-series has taken a big step forward in terms of quality and enjoyment.

For the old Lyja / Human Torch fans out there, this issue has a heavy focus on the two and their previous relationship that makes me wish she had returned to the main Fantastic Four title instead of, more than likely, being used as a throw away prop piece in the Skrull invasion.

For those that disliked the pairing, it hasn't happened yet, but it looks like she's going to end up sacrificing herself for Johnny and their past love, so I doubt she'll survive this event or, at the least, won't be sticking around in any capicity.

The majority of the issue was dedicated to the Human Torch's stunned reaction at the return of Lyja and the question as to why she was doing this. They had the prerequisite hero vs. hero (well, I guess when someone's race is invading the other person's country, they relinquish their hero status, despite being a former member of the FF) battle and I enjoyed the chemistry the two had, even in the midst of trying to kill each other.

In the end, they resolved their differences, or at least stopped trying to kill each other, and teamed up to fight off one of the random Negative Zone monsters that attacked them.

We had a brief glimpse of what Thing was up to and it just showed him finishing up some of the random alien bugs that attacked him last issue as Valeria and Franklin met up with him, the kids in their own custom made "defensive" battle armour suit. They eventually meet up with Johnny and Lyja and they all are set to go to the Negative Zone prison next issue.

The only problem I'm having so far is that this series isn't answering any of the questions I had or thought we were going to get from it - mainly what happened to Reed and Sue and what the situation with Prison 42 is. It seems they will all be answered next issue, but I fear it will be a rushed conclusion any way you look at it.

Verdict - Check It. While the first issue was a dud, this one had a lot of great scenes between Johnny and Lyja and the next issue looks to have all the answers regarding Reed, Sue and what the Skrulls are doing with 42.


WOLVERINE #66
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Steve McNiven

By all rights, this is an excellent issue and I highly recommend it to everyone, but, if there's one problem Wolverine #66 and the Old Man Logan storyline has, it's that it's probably going to fall victim to its own hype.

Based on the hype and constant stream of interviews and Mark Millar's own self promotion of his "One Man Event", consisting of 1985, Kick-Ass, Fantastic Four and Wolverine, I'm confident that the biggest detractors of this book are simply expecting too much from what amounts to a fun, alternate future storyline alla things like Age of Apocalypse, Days of Future Past and so on. None had long lasting affects nor did they redefine characters, but they showed characters in different settings and gave new insights into the way people perceived those characters.

Anyone coming in expecting this to be a Watchman or a universe altering event level book is going to be sadly disappointed.

That said, I'm sure everyone has already heard what happens in this issue. It's a fairly straight forward set up issue whereby we see Logan in his later years, now retired and settled down with a wife and family, scraping by, trying to make a living in a world where the heroes lost a climactic battle many years ago.

That event changed Wolverine and he is now a hollow shell of the former berzerker rage filled mutant killing machine. So changed is Logan that he no longer goes by his Wolverine codename and, when the Hulk Clan comings looking for rent Logan doesn't have, he simply grits his teeth and accepts the beating they dish out on him. Even when they threaten to kill him and his family if he doesn't come up with the money next month, he still kowtows to his aggressors.

However, there are flashes of the old Wolverine, specifically when he imagines himself unleashing his claws for the first time in 20 years and slaughtering the Hulk Clan before snapping back to reality and taking his beating.

After all these years, Wolverine's age has caught up to him and his mutant healing factor, while still active, has slowed considerably and he's still bedridden by nightfall when Hawkeye, now blind, comes to see him.

He offers Logan a job to help him deliver an unspecified package across the country, to which Logan has no choice but to accept with no other means of coming up with the money for next month's rent.

Thus starts the cross country trek through a world gone mad. One of the best parts of the issue came out of this as we get to see a GPS map of the new layout of the United States. The Hulk Clan has taken over the west coast while Kingpin takes of the midwest and several other villains control similar territories across the country, ending with the unnamed, but speculated to be the mysterious Wyncham character popping up in all of Millar's One Man Event books, presidential territory, which just happens to be the duo's destination.

I'll post the map in the Moments of the Week, as it's great speculation fodder, especially with the various towns and cities named along Logan and Hawkeye's route, such as my favourite, Paste Pot Creek.

Verdict - Must Read. Unless you hate meaningless alternate future storylines or anything written by Mark Millar, there's no reason to skip this issue as it was just a great read made all the better with McNiven's beautiful artwork. I can't wait to see what madness Millar has in store or one of McNiven's fight scenes from upcoming issues.

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