The Multiversity: Ultra Comics 1 (May 2015)

The Multiversity: Ultra Comics #1 What’s Grant Morrison doing with Ultra Comics, a Multiversity tie-in issue? Well, he’s giving Doug Mahnke a lot of great stuff to draw. If you ignore all of Morrison’s breaking the fourth wall (but not really–it’s not like it’s a “Choose Your Own Adventure”), the comic just gives Mahnke a chance to realize this quick superhero story in the apocalypse.

What’s caused the apocalypse? A Cthulhu-like monster. It might not come across as a big Alan Moore knock if Ultra–he’s the protagonist of Ultra Comics–if Ultra didn’t look like Miracleman. The issue has a credit to Siegel and Shuster and there’s a Shazam reference; but what isn’t clear is if Morrison likes Miracleman or not.

There’s lame stuff about the reader interacting and generating the life of the comic (and protagonist) and Internet whining. But it’s thoughtless.

Except the Mahnke art makes it all worthwhile.

CREDITS

Ultra Comics Lives!; writer, Grant Morrison; penciller, Doug Mahnke; inkers, Christian Alamy, Mark Irwin, Keith Champagne and Jaime Mendoza; colorists, Gabe Eltaeb and David Baron; letterer, Steve Wands; editor, Rickey Purdin; publisher, DC Comics.

Green Lantern 3 (January 2012)

Once again, Sinestro is the best thing about Green Lantern. Johns really ought to consider redoing the book with Sinestro as the lead and Hal Jordan as his flunky. Maybe because of the movie (and Ryan Reynolds playing the role), it’s hard to take Hal seriously. Maybe it’s just because Johns makes Hal out to be a complete moron.

Not sure if that development’s new DC Universe or whatever.

Johns has been so successful at making Sinestro a force through the narrative, the focus on him works. Hal’s just a tool. He’s the comic relief. Regardless of Johns’s intention, he’s made Lantern better for making the expected lead a toadstool.

There’s very nice art from Mahnke and company. Occasionally, the differences in inkers–they’re close, but not exact–become clear. But it’s never disjointing.

The issue’s third act is just a great time. Johns manages a predictable, but deft cliffhanger.

CREDITS

Sinestro, Part Three; writer, Geoff Johns; penciller, Doug Mahnke; inkers, Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Mark Irwin and Tom Nguyen; colorist, David Baron; letterer, Sal Cipriano; editors, Darren Shan and Brian Cunningham; publisher, DC Comics.

Green Lantern 2 (December 2011)

Yuck to Johns’s pacing. This issue features Sinestro showing off to Hal Jordan how much of a bad Lantern Jordan’s always been.

It’s lots and lots of talking, which the occasional action sequence or something ring-related.

For the most part, Mahnke and the inkers do a fine job. There’s sci-fi action, there are monsters, there’s superhero disaster stuff. The art never bests what the artists do in the first few pages, when they show how pissy Jordan gets over Sinestro having the ring.

I think the issue takes place in about twenty-five minutes, which is about six times longer than it takes to read the comic. And Sinestro is so much stronger, as a character, than Hal Jordan. Does Johns always write him this way?

He’s turned Sinestro into the Dr. Doom of the DC Universe; “evil” or whatever, but right about how to fix the world.

CREDITS

Sinestro, Part Two; writer, Geoff Johns; penciller, Doug Mahnke; inkers, Christian Alamy and Keith Champagne; colorist, David Baron; letterer, Sal Cipriano; editors, Darren Shan and Brian Cunningham; publisher, DC Comics.

Green Lantern 1 (November 2011)

I thought Sinestro had a big silly head. Doug Mahnke gives him a big forehead, but no big head.

Not being a Green Lantern reader, this issue sort of confuses me. But what frustrates me is Geoff Johns. He can plot out the issue, get all the beats down, even write good dialogue half the time… but the other half is weak. It’s not bad dialogue, but it’s all declarative statements.

Johns needs to work on letting his characters listen.

I’m surprisingly impressed with the comic. Though the cover suggests Sinestro will play a big part, he takes a back burner to Hal adjusting on Earth without his ring. Johns knows how to split the comic between the two.

And even if it does read pretty fast, the plotting suggests some things have happened in the pages.

I’m not exactly an immediate Green Lantern supporter, but I’m suddenly rather hopeful.

CREDITS

Sinestro, Part One; writer, Geoff Johns; penciller, Doug Mahnke; inkers, Christian Alamy and Tom Nguyen; colorist, David Baron; letterer, Sal Cipriano; editors, Darren Shan and Brian Cunningham; publisher, DC Comics.