Batman: Hush

Batman: Hush is one of the quintessential batman stories of the Post-Crisis DC Universe.  Not only does this story introduce one of the best new villains to be added to the Batman rogues gallery but it also mines the Batman mythos to core when it comes to the characters in this story.  The story touches on past story arcs from Batman: Year One, Batman: A Death in the Family & Batman: The Killing Joke.  This story also pushes the story forward on the Batman, Catwoman relationship & moves forward with that.  This book not only has a whose who of Batman's rogue gallery but also a complete guest star list of the Bat-Family's supporting cast; even Superman & Lois Lane are in this story.  Jeph Loeb has crafted a terrific story that has stood the test of time & the big reveal at the end & who the real master mind is just great.  Also this title paves the way for future Batman events such as Batman: Under the Hood.  The story is enhanced by superstar artist Jim Lee who is still one of the best artist in the business draws the whole story.

The Call of the Wild

Jack London is a legend among authors for his unique style & subject matter.  The Call of the Wild, centers around the life of a dog Buck.  Now since this book is rather short it can be read in one day & is very condensed to give just the most important of details.  Jack London excels at this simplifying the story to give the reader just the facts.  Another thing he excels at is placing man against nature or in this case dog against nature.  In some ways this is a tragic tale while in others it can be rather freeing that choice is left up to the reader.

Saga Vol. 6

One big happy family, is what Brian K. Vaughan has crafted in Saga volume six.  I absolutely love this series there is nothing bad I can say about this book I am a little upset that we didn't get to touch base with all of our characters in this volume but it is still amazing.  If you are a fan of The Will then this may be your least favorite collection to date but overall it is still great.  The time jump is great it really is nice to see Hazel interact on her own Brian K. Vaughan has given her a great voice now that she is older  It looks like Marko & Alana's family is going to get a little bigger after this volume with the big reveal at the end.  I hope there isn't another time jump for awhile because I am need to readjust to how everybody is older in this volume.

Teen Titans: Earth One Vol. 2

Now this feels like the Teen Titans.  Jeff Lemire has crafted a great volume to what I thought was the weakest of the Earth One series.  No longer Teen Titans: Earth One definitely deserves its place at the table.  I like how the rest of the team was assembled together in this volume.  Impulse, Wonder Girl & Kole who start out as enemies of the Teen Titans fill out the rest of the team.  Slade Wilson demonstrates a heroic turn in this story-arc.  Raven & Starfire return in the end uniting all of the Teen Titans members together for the first time.  Finally Cyborg comes into his own & is revealed in a really cool way.  There is a very minor cliff hanger of a potential threat on the way but for now the teens just get to bask in victory & being teenagers.  I know that other than sequel planned to the current titles within the Earth One stable there are plans for an Aquaman & a Flash title.  For those I am equally excited but I also think there are a great many of DC Comics current heroes who could work well within the Earth One format.  For instance I would like see a Green Arrow, a Green Lantern, as far as the single heroes go but in terms of other team books go a Justice League, a Justice Society, a Freedom Fighters or a Green Lantern Corps.  I am sure there are other heroes that people would love to see join the Earth One series.

Teen Titans: Earth One Vol. 1

This is the first team book to come out of the Earth One series so far.  Jeff Lemire has done an excellent job crafting an origin story for the Teen Titans however this doesn't feel like the Teen Titans to me because Robin is missing it feels more like Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan.  However that is part of the enjoyment in this story it seems fresh.  One of the old members the original days of the Teen Titans back when Marve Wolfman was writing the book is back in this re-imagining, Terra.  Having Terra back throws in a nice dynamic to the team I don't really understand who Joseph also known as Jericho is so I found him to be kind of confusing but still interesting.  I really liked the idea of having Cyborg in this story especially since in mainstream continuity of comics & movies Cyborg is a Justice League member.  He is the only character to make the jump from the minors to the big leagues,  I like that Jeff Lemire reversed the gender role from Elias Stone to Elinore Stone for Victor's scientist parent who is not only a top S.T.A.R. Labs scientist in the story but the big bad in the end.  My favorite character of this whole new series is Raven I love how they of made her a Navajo girl who has visions also her character design is very cool.  Overall the artwork is top notch Terry Dodson is an amazing artist but I did have some problems with some of art.  First off his panels don't seem to flow as nicely as Jeff Lemire's story but it is still beautiful to look at.  Next I found that some of his character designs just seem off for the character.  Victor Stone for example just seems a little scrawnier than I was expecting him to be & it bothered me throughout the story.  Deathstroke was another one I liked the overall character design for Slade Wilson but when he got into costume as Deathstroke that he just kinda looked goofy.  Finally the reveal of who has brought them all together, Starfire.  However there are still several questions left unanswered first & foremost who did this to them.

Wonder Woman: Earth One Vol. 1

Wonder Woman is an amazing character for all of comics & this addition to DC Comics Earth One line is a breathe of fresh air in many respects.  Now Wonder Woman has had countless origins since she was created her New 52 origin being the most memorable to date.  With a Wonder Woman movie just on the horizon which has an awesome trailer released over the summer.  This volume again explores Wonder Woman's origin but its not just the retelling of the origin that is amazing its everything else in the book.  The inclusion of the tale of Hercules & the Amazons, the re-imagining of Steve Trevor as an African American Pilot on a recon mission even the artistic style that is used to portray Diana is echoes the origin as a warrior woman instead of busty female form that people associate with women in comics.  All of this adds to the tale that master storyteller Grant Morrison has crafted.  Grant Morrison is known for delving into a characters rich history & mining it for everything it is worth.  Wonder Woman is no different & she has a very rich history in this instance I think that Morrison has not only researched her past but the life of her creator.  There is a lot of symbolism in this book many of which can be taken in a negative light when taken out of the context of the story especially when viewing Wonder Woman in chains.  If you are at all interested in Wonder Woman pick up this book, after reading this I am interested in what inspired her creation in the first place.

Batman: Earth One Vol. 2

Geoff Johns has topped even himself with this volume.  The second volume of Batman: Earth One introduces a slew of Batman's rogues in new ways.  The big bad of this volume is the Riddler while Killer Croc, Two-Face & Catwoman appear in the story as well.  The Riddler in this story is just as crazy & deranged as Dennis Hopper in Speed.  There are also two Dents in this book like there were two Luthors in Superman: Earth One.  A Jessica Dent & Harvey Dent which are twins throughout the story.  Both are injured in a prison riot which one will ultimately become Two-Face remains to be seen.  I think that Johns will follow J.M.S.'s take on Luthor & turn Jessica Dent into Two-Face.  Killer Croc in also in the story but not as a villain just a misunderstood man with a skin condition.  While Catwoman is just a woman whose balcony Batman crashed onto while chasing a criminal only to be revealed at the end of the story as Selina Kyle.  I love this take on Batman however its hard tell if any of Batman's rogues will survive their initial meeting with the Dark Knight.