Hey, people! I haven’t been anywhere near regular and I apologize. But I did get a nifty new scanner, so the covers should look a LOT better. I also Shortened the title from Comics Review Bonanza to CRB (or CRiB, if you want to be cool about it. Word.). Anyway, here are this week’s and last week’s picks!

DC Comics

Justice League of America #1
Written by Brad Meltzer and penciled by Ed Benes with a variant cover by Michael Turner (not shown)

Picking up right where Justice League of America #0 ended, the issue focuses on two main stories. It focuses on Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman selecting the members of the new League. It also talks about the whereabouts of the Red Tornado and the life changing decision he may or may not make (I won’t spoil anything for you).
Meltzer’s writing is, in a word, amazing. He has such a good grasp on how these characters work and how they interact with each other. He also puts so much heart into the characters and really makes you care about them. The last few pages with Red Tornado were very touching. I also loved the team selecting scenes. It was interesting to see how Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman view the potential members of the League. Excellent writing.
In terms of art, Ed Benes is fabulous. He has improved so much since his days on Gen13 and even Birds of Prey. His visual storytelling is excellent. The inking in one or two panels looks a little off, but it’s nothing too serious. A wonderful job on the art side.
Unless you’re rabidly anti-Justice League, there’s no reason for you NOT to buy this issue. ’Nuff said.

Superman/Batman #29
Written by Mark Verheiden and penciled by Ethan Van Sciver

I’m not going to lie. I broke a rule when I got this issue: I bought a book based on its cover. What can I say? I’m a self-professed Green Lantern fanatic, so when I saw this cover, I had to pick it up. What happens within? Well, Batman confronts a now-isolationist Martian Manhunter concerning events that happened in the previous issue or two, Superman confronts a shape shifter at the Daily Planet and there’s something wrong with the Green Lantern’s rings that causes them to go crazy. Sounds simple enough, right? Of course it does.
Verheiden sets the story up well enough. It was also interesting to see a couple of old-school villains cameo in this issue, but there were a couple of quick lines of dialogue that kinda threw me for a loop. I never really imagined Batman calling a giant alien monster “a whiner.” It just didn’t seem to fit. But the issue did bring up an interesting parallel to the Parallax incident of the 1990s. Solid writing, even if there were a couple missteps.
Van Sciver’s art is fundamentally good, but there’s one main problem I have with the issue: the coloring. To be frank, it’s bland. Everything just kind of blends together almost, with the exception of the final splash page. And isn’t Batman’s cape and cowl supposed to be blue instead of black in the One Year Later books? I thought so.
This issue is still fun, despite it’s flaws, but I just wish the interiors looked half as good as the cover. Solid work though.

The Trials of Shazam! #1
Written by Judd Winick and penciled by Howard Porter

This is an interesting book. It is going to redefine Captain Marvel in the post-Infinite Crisis DC Universe. The world’s mightiest mortal is now a resident of the Rock of Eternity, the hub for magical energy in the DCU, following the death of the wizard Shazam at the hands of the Spectre in Days of Vengeance.
Winick treats this as a prelude of sorts for the rest of the series, and that’s good. It allows us to get a feel for who Captain Marvel is. Though I do have one issue here. I don’t know if Marvel is always like this, but some of the dialogue seemed odd, for lack of a better term. After Marvel beats this giant, magical frog, he says, “Brother, you are messing with the wrong god-power-wielding dude.” I didn’t know Marvel was a stereotypical California surfer. Other than that, a well-written issue.
Porter’s pencils are excellent. His characters are solid, his action is well-paced and the coloring is fantastic. The painted look definitely suits this book. If you don’t believe me, look at the first splash page.
Aside from an occasional piece of odd-sounding dialogue, this is a fun issue with wonderful art and an interesting twist at the end. A must for fans of the magical aspects of the DCU.

Marvel Comics

Astonishing X-Men #16
Written by Joss Whedon and penciled by John Cassaday

Astonishing X-Men is now in its second “volume,” so to speak. Whedon and Cassaday did 12 issues, which is referred to as volume one, and now they are working on volume two. This story arc is a revival of one of my favorite of the X-Men’s villain groups: the Hellfire Club.
Whedon has done a fabulous job ever since he started Astonishing. His dialogue is wonderful and the stories themselves are excellent, but he has one important flaw: pacing. When the story arcs are collected into trades, they’re great, but when you read an individual issue, it appears as though only one or two events actually occur. And when you’re book is bi-monthly (meaning it comes out once every two months), you absolutely have to have something happen. It’s that simple.
Cassaday has been amazing, and his work continues to amaze me every time I see it. His characters look great, the colors are solid and his choreography is second to none. Some of his action sequences feel so cinematic it’s like you’re watching a movie. Cassaday is one of the best in the business, hands down.
As I said earlier, this book is awesome when it’s collected, but when you read the single issues (two months apart, no less), it just fails to live up to the other X-books, mainly X-Men and Uncanny X-Men.

That’s all I’ve got for this week, people! However, I will be back in a week or two with more reviews!