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PopLab was established to dissect and study your weekly pull list. Our scientists, brought together from around the globe from places as far away as Dallas, Texas and probably the other side of Dallas, Texas, have been locked away for years living underground and on a diet of four-color entertainment, Cheetos and Coke Zero.

Their goal: to give you their scientific evaluations of the week’s comic books.

Scientist: Michael Partyka

FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: INK #2
Writer—Eric Wallace; Artist—Fabrizio Fiorentino

Introduced in Final Crisis: Submit, DC’s latest Tattooed Man is Mark Richards, a former super-villain turned honorary Justice League member.  His powers are about the same as the Tattooed Men before him—his tattoos come to life and do his bidding.  But one of his tattoos isn’t behaving as it should.  In this issue, Mark’s errant zombie samurai tattoo “Kabuki Dan” tips off Mark to a counterfeiting ring run by the Ded Boyz.  Mark makes short work of the ring but returns home to discover his son Leon is trying to enlist in the Avenue Reds, a rival gang to the Ded Boyz.  Can Mark save his son from entering the underworld as he himself did years ago?

From his first appearance in Final Crisis: Submit, Mark Richards has been a character drenched in bitterness.  One might think that a full pardon and an honorary JLA membership would go far toward removing this bitter element, but so far, no go.  In fact, INK seems to focus upon how hard it can be to deal with one’s inner scars—especially the ones that are self-inflicted, like tattoos.  Mark Richards wants to be a good man—but is there enough room on his scarified soul for redemption?  If the artwork could rise to the challenge, I could possibly bring myself to care, but this book is visually flat.  This is not entirely the artist’s fault—Grant Morrisson had the brilliant foresight to make his new Tattooed Man black, and it’s rather hard make tattoos stand out when the canvas is nearly as dark as the ink.  But it’s also hard to make a well-written book stand out if the artwork doesn’t elevate it.

Recommendation:  Pass

GREEN LANTERN #42
Writer—Geoff Johns; Pecillers—Philip Tan & Eddy Barrows; Inkers—Jonathan Glapion & Ruy Jose

In the DC emotional spectrum, orange represents avarice, and no one in the DC Universe personifies avarice like Larfleeze, a.k.a “Agent Orange.”  The sole possessor of the Orange Power Battery, Larfleeze’s joy is to possess all that you have and all that you are, usually by killing you and make an Orange Lantern “construct” out of your likeness.  Right now what Larfleeze wants more than anything is the Blue Lantern ring that Hal Jordan unwillingly possesses (in addition to his usual Green Lantern ring)—the blue ring is grounded in hope, and Larfleeze’s hope is that its power will satisfy his eternal craving for more, more, more.

With the resounding success of the “Sinestro Corps War” and with “Blackest Night” fast approaching, DC knows that the Green Lantern titles are their bread-and-butter for the year, and it sure looks like DC is pouring their best talent into them.  The artwork here is consistently stellar, especially with regard to the colors brilliantly rendered by Nei Ruffino and Rod Reis.  Frankly, I’ve never heard of most of the visual creators featured here, which is why I’m convinced that somebody high up—maybe DiDio himself—must have given the order, “Forget ‘big names’.  Just put the best damn artists we have on this book.”  However, the Geoff Johns fanboy in me must once again credit a large share of this book’s greatness to Johns’ hyper-empathic writing.  From the good-natured vapidness of raw hope to the all-consuming self-centeredness of avarice, Johns immerses readers in inescapable floods of raw emotion.  When Hal Jordan briefly grasps the Orange Power Battery, you KNOW avarice; when Hal finally figures out how to fully activate the blue ring, you KNOW hope.  It’s this ability to convey emotion that makes Geoff Johns one of the best writers in the business today, and it’s this ability that threatens to make “Blackest Night” the best DC summer event since…well, since “Sinestro Corps War”!

Recommendation:  Buy
 
SUPERMAN #689
Writer—James Robinson; Penciller—Renato Guedes; Inker—Jose Wilson Magalhaes

In a story aptly named, “The Tourist,” writer James Robinson takes Superman’s Daxamite “stand-in” Mon-El on a world tour of Earth, encountering not only the natural and man-made beauty of various locales but also their superhuman representatives.  This is a quintessential Robinson story, filled with colorful anecdotes and quick glimpses into a comic book world that is much more vast and open for exploration than DC’s America-focused readers would naturally tend to assume.  I think DC would do well to give Robinson his own anthology book someday, covering the international superhero scene—anyone up for a loose-knit Global Guardians title, perhaps?  (If such a book were ever to see daylight, I would hope that Robinson’s English duo “Class War” would headline it.  The concept of an invulnerable British lord and a fire-projecting British commoner’s fighting England’s greatest threats, all the while loathing each other and what they represent, sounds like great fun.)

Mon-El is the ultimate outsider, having been confined to the bleak Phantom Zone for a number of years to save him from the Daxamite-killing lead content of Earth’s atmosphere.  He’s gained a measure of protection from lead thanks to a parting gift left to Superman by Brainiac-5, but his Kryptonian-like powers are slowly but surely counteracting this protection, leaving Mon-El with precious few months to experience life and all it has to offer.  It is through the eyes of this dying alien, then, that Robinson takes us around our planet—with a visual assist from Guedes and Magalhaes that is both haunting and breathtaking—to show us readers our own homeworld’s often-unappreciated beauty.  Come and see.

Recommendation:  Buy

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #28
Writer & Penciller—Jerry Ordway; Inker—Bob Wiacek

In Part 2 of this story bridging the gap between the writing team of Johns & Eaglesham and the new writing team of Willingham and Sturges, Jerry Ordway delves into the JSA’s World War II years to bring us a tale of long-smouldering revenge.  Seems the residents of Hiroshima aren’t too happy about having been incinerated in nuclear fire at the end of WWII, and recent events at the Rock of Eternity have opened the door to exact revenge on the JSA (who by their twisted logic didn’t do enough to keep Truman from taking the nuclear option).  Leading the bloodthirsty mob of spirits is the Japanese hero/spy Kung, the Assassin of a Thousand Claws, whose plan is to take the JSA back in time to the moment of Hiroshima’s destruction.  Can the JSA survive the threat of nuclear annihilation?

As a fill-in writer and penciller, Ordway once again proves himself more than capable of handling the JSA ensemble and their multigenerational perspectives.  For example, when Hourman and Liberty Belle are left aghast by the horrible act that was the destruction of Hiroshima, the Flash (Jay Garrick) is quick to point out that it was a wartime action, and sometimes war will require you to do things you’d never even allow yourself to contemplate under safer, better conditions.  The only glaring flaw in the book is Ordway’s use of DC’s resident deus ex machina, the Spectre.  His appearance only serves to show how badly the JSA needs a magic-user in their ranks.  I’ve heard rumors of the new Doctor Fate’s making an appearance in JSA soon—if true, I hope this results in his permanent addition to their ranks.  (P.S.:  Gail Simone won the Countdown to Mystery #8 challenge hands-down.)

JSA #28 is a good story overall, but it’s nothing earth-shattering and—let’s face it—filler is filler.  If you’re already hooked on JSA, great, but if you’re a prospective JSA reader looking for a jump-on point, wait for next issue when the new regular creative team of Willingham, Sturges, and Merino take over.

Recommendation:  Pass

DARK WOLVERINE #75
Writers—Daniel Way & Marjorie Liu; Penciller—Giuseppe Camuncoli; Inker—Onofrio Catacchi

With Dark Wolverine #75 the book’s title and spotlight shift from Logan onto his son, Daken Akihiro, who has publicly adopted the identity of Wolverine for Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers.  But just because Daken has joined the team doesn’t make him a team player.  Daken has his own agenda, and he quickly reveals his willingness to do anything—and anyone (wink, wink)—to get it accomplished.  It isn’t clear what this agenda is, but it does appear to involve disrupting the fragile alliance of psychopaths that is the Dark Avengers.  He casually makes enemies of Venom and Bullseye, entices Moonstone, and irritates Osborn.  Last but not least, he sets up one of his teammates to face the wrath of Marvel’s fantastic first family, although the next issue cover blurb indicates that this particular scheme might not have worked out as planned….

Anyone familiar with the real Wolverine would expect Logan’s and Daken’s powers and manners to be similar.  Concerning the former, that’s true:  Daken is a trained warrior with fast healing, bone claws, and enhanced senses.  Concerning the latter, however, nothing could be further from the truth.  Logan is a gruff alpha-male; Daken is a metrosexual (and possibly bisexual) manipulator.  Daken may be every bit the warrior his father is, but he is NOT his father, and this contradiction exposes Daken’s psychological Achilles’ heel—on one hand, the adoption of his father’s heroic identity puts him above the game, hidden in plain sight and pulling the public’s strings, but on the other hand, being mistaken for his father obviously rankles him to no end.  An identity crisis is in the works—how long can Daken keep up the charade of being Wolverine before something breaks?

This book has everything the sophisticated comics reader wants:  nuanced characters, delicious art, and a sense that great things are in motion.  And for newcomers, there’s also an extra “Dark Wolverine Saga” section at the back detailing Daken’s history.  All these elements make Dark Wolverine #75 a perfect “jumping-on” point for new and experienced readers alike.

Recommendation:  Buy




Scientist: Angela Gruenenfelder

LITERALS #3
Written by Bill Willingham and Mathew Sturges
Art by Mark Buckingham and Andrew Pepoy

The 9th issue in The Great Fables Crossover arrives! This is what we have all been waiting for. This is where it all ends. Kevin Thorn, the Literal in charge of the writing of stories, has finally gotten a bit of peace. He has just finished writing off Ol Sam with a very long ending, and writers block is for sure not to bother him for awhile. Jack Frost has joined forces with Bigby and Snow and the other literals to help aid them, somehow. He needs to finish a heroic mission, after all. But even with Bigby and snow, the Page Sisters with there amazing amount of fire power, and Revision at the helm,they still cannot get to Kevin Thorn. He seems to learned a few tricks from the Genres, like force fields. Is this going to be the end of the universe as we know it? Or will Jack Frost figure out a way to do the impossible, and be a hero after all?

I have loved Fables for six years, as well as anything else Bill Willingham has written recently. This series never seems to run out of excitement. It’s one of the few series I have passed on to several friends, and everyone has loved it. The Great Fables Crossover has been quite enjoyable, and I really can’t wait to get back into the goings on of Fable town, now that the war is over, but other dangers are surely in store.

The art has always been good for Fables, and this issue follows that trend. I do miss James Jean covers, but alas, the stories are what I am drawn to. This has been a nice story run, now let’s get back to the tension. Will Boy Blue EVER come back? I hope so, but all we can do is read and wait.

Recommendation: Buy It

RAPTURE # 2
Story: Taki Soma & Michael Avon Oeming
Art: Michael Avon Oeming

The excitement continues in the second installment in the six parter Rapture series, by the talented Taki Soma and Michael Avon Oeming. A great cover art by Taki Soma dons this issue, letting us know that Evelyn Town has picked up the spear of the champion, with the face of The Word looming behind her. The story opens with a beautiful water color like story board of the two lovers of the story, Evelyn and Gil, back in happier times.

Issue two immediately picks up where 1 ended, with Evelyn having taken up the spear. She wants only to find her boyfriend Gil, not wanting the weight of a Champions responsibility. But the price comes with the spear, and she avenges those attacked by a band of the cannibals. The power of the spear helping her, she slaughters a group of the cannibals, saving a young girl and reuniting her with her family. The people see her as a champion returned, which is exactly what she doesn’t want. But she may be there only hope…far away Gil sings songs about his lost love, trying to hold onto hope that Evelyn might still be alive. The world is hard and dangerous where Gil is too, and suddenly a highly unexpected child shows up holding another power wielding spear. Is this the beginning of a new group of champions? Does humanity have hope?

The artwork in this series is really something. Dark and light mixed together. Powerful layouts and striking colors make it appealing to the eye, and really accent this story so very well.

Recommendation: Buy It